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Blogs
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Art Seen
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Written by Kelly Crawford
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Tuesday, 18 November 2008 |
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In a giant Victorian dollhouse on Broadway Avenue, a profusion of student designs are being displayed on every space available. From paint-spackled Impressionists reborn to drug-addled Picasso futurists, with a multi-mused photographer somewhere in between, these artists, and many others, will showcase what’s next in Santa Cruz art. Coming from UC Santa Cruz and Cabrillo College, these students have no other intention but to show their work outside the confines of galleries and campus-sponsored showings. At this free exhibition, there will be a grill for carnivores and vegetarians alike, a perfect accompaniment to a cornucopia of genre-crossing and medium-traversing art.
Noon–6 p.m. 1108 Broadway, Santa Cruz. Free.
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Finding Ananda
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Written by Poppy de Garmo
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Monday, 17 November 2008 |
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… possibly, or, at least it looks that way. With a calm demeanor and
what looks like a balanced life, as well as a fit body, Obama fits the
bill. Oh, and one more thing—he’s cool. Yoga is cool. Santa Cruz is
cool. Herein lies one of the great reasons to do yoga. Who doesn’t
want to be cool?
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Fresh Dirt
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Written by Elizabeth Limbach
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Monday, 17 November 2008 |
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UC Santa Cruz student activists were there to greet city leaders and business owners as they walked in to the 88th annual Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce Recognition Dinner at Cocoanut Grove on Friday, Nov. 14. The students were representatives of the Student Worker Coalition for Justice, a campus organization that continues to fight the UC for “systematically exploiting its workers.” The City of Santa Cruz and UCSC were awarded Organizations of the Year for their unprecedented collaborative efforts – notably for settling the school’s Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) earlier this year. The small crowd of students and workers who gathered at the event hoped to counter the positive award with a more somber reminder of unfair wages. They passed out fliers to suit-and-tie event goers, including UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, bearing messages such as, “Other California colleges and hospitals pay family sustaining wages. Why won’t the University of California?”
 Chancellor George Blumenthal pauses to listen to student activists. |
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Quick Bites
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Written by Karen Petersen
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Friday, 14 November 2008 |
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Snaking through the showcase of Santa Cruz's finest restaurants like a
foodie trick-or-treat, last night's "Taste of Santa Cruz" fulfilled
each of my culinary cravings. At more than 30 tables, eateries,
wineries, and breweries paired with local business sponsors to delight
the 800 guests.
From soups and spicy grilled skewers, to cheesecake and dark chocolate,
I was impressed with the number of owners and executive chefs staffing
the $30 progressive dinner. Their sponsors included local realtors,
bankers, lenders, and title companies as well as financial advisors.
 Streams of soft fabrics adorned the many meticulously appointed silent
auction tables at the Cocoanut Grove. Exotic vacation packages were
live-auctioned later in the evening.
This fourth annual event was presented by the Santa Cruz Association of
Realtors, whose Housing Foundation has already awarded over $170,000 in
grants to help first-time homebuyers with closing costs.
If you missed the event and would like to contribute, please call 464-2000, or visit the Taste of Santa Cruz website. And next year, I'll forward you an invitation.
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Fresh Dirt
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Written by Elizabeth Limbach
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Thursday, 13 November 2008 |
Pacific Avenue gets swept away by the city’s new sidewalk cleanerA small, excited crowd gathered on the corner of Pacific Avenue and Church Street on Nov. 13 to witness Santa Cruz unveil its latest toy—an environmentally sustainable sidewalk sweeper/scrubber. City leaders, business owners and passers-by watched as the city’s new street sweep made its debut, scooting along the sidewalk and causing unsuspecting pedestrians to amusedly dodge out of the way.
 After thorough investigation into the latest and greatest in street sweeping, the city decided on this model, which sweeps, scrubs and then vacuums the water back up so that the dirty water doesn’t enter the storm drain system. The machine also uses less water overall than other street cleaning methods.
Cathlin Atchison, the project manager, says the investment was a way of addressing public concern over a dirty downtown. “People want a cleaner downtown,” she says. “We are making sure to pay attention to our downtown and make it an attractive destination for visitors.”
Standing by with a smile on his face, Mayor Ryan Coonerty recalls joining the city council at a time when the streets hadn’t been cleaned at all in five years. The city tested out many different strategies over the years, but he believes this green machine is the most promising. Still, he reports that it’s just the beginning of the city’s efforts to clean-up downtown. “This is one small piece,” he says. “We want to address issues downtown from all angles.” The other pieces include increased trash pick up, more police and better, more environmentally conscious lighting.
 Of course, these efforts come with costs—or, in the case of the sweeper/scrubber, a $75,000 price tag. The purchase was a collaborative effort between the city, Redevelopment Agency, Parking District, and refuse funds. The city’s refuse, parking and general funds will share the operating costs, which are not accounted for in the $75,000 figure.
Last week’s gathering was only a demonstration of the integrated sidewalk sweeper/scrubber. Operator training is now underway, and the equipment will be put into regular use soon after Thanksgiving for a six-month pilot period. According to Atchison, the sweeper/scrubber will spend between 15 and 18 hours a week polishing the downtown area, including Pacific Avenue, the parking garages and parts of Front and Cedar Streets. The equipment will also be shared with the Municipal Wharf. After six months, the city will evaluate the effectiveness of the project and decide on whether to make it a permanent fixture on Santa Cruz’s streets.
The machine’s success at cleaning up downtown might be pending, but, judging by the intrigue at its introduction, the sweeper/scrubber has already won the affection of the patrons. Watching as the curious crowd prods and pokes at the new vehicle, city councilmember Lynn Robinson jokes, “I think we should be charging five dollars a ride!”
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Quick Bites
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Written by Karen Petersen
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Wednesday, 12 November 2008 |
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Just in time for the (hopefully) busy shopping season, Castroville's
Giant Artichoke restaurant has opened a "world famous" Giant Artichoke
Express in the food court at the Capitola Mall.
Of course lovers of the green globe will expect to find Deep Fried
Artichoke Hearts, the half order ($4.75) holding eleven approximately
quarter-heart morsels, each one in a crispy herb-speckled golden
jacket. Enjoy a side of either mayo or ranch for dipping.
 After a tiring day, pick up steamed or fire-roasted artichokes, ready
to go as a side dish or a meal. You'll also find the chopped hearts
baked into quiche and bread, as well as combined with jalapenos or
spinach in a dip.
The store also sells other kinds of sandwiches, quesadillas and salads.
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X-Ray Vision
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Written by Ray Gabriel
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Tuesday, 11 November 2008 |
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Love him or hate him, writer/director Kevin Smith (Clerks and Zack & Miri Make a Porno) has made quite the name for himself in the world of comics. Whether he’s casting icons like Stan Lee in his films or trying his hand at penning popular arcs for his favorite characters, the guy obviously has some serious passion for dudes in tights. His first crack at a mainstream title back in 1999 resulted in the eight-issue Guardian Devil run on Daredevil, an arc that would meet with massive critical and commercial success and eventually lead to two more gigs at the house of ideas, one even featuring everyone’s favorite web-head. While fans could hardly get enough of Smith’s unique take on some of Marvel’s biggest names, unfortunately both would meet with delay snags. Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do, a six-issue story featuring art by Terry Dodson, saw its first issue hit shelves several months late and would eventually hit a gap of three years before fans would get their hands on the final three issues to wrap the book up. Even more devastating, his next comic project, Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target, a mini-series featuring art by Glenn Fabry that saw its first issue released in 2002, still has yet to be finished. As of this writing, however, Smith has unofficially abandoned the book completely, citing events unfolding in continuity that have rendered his story meaningless. Smith even went on to try his hand at the competition. The 15-issue Quiver story line for DC’s Green Arrow saw the resurrection of Ollie Queen from the grave and subsequent taking back of the mantle of Star City’s savior. It met with a solid amount of fanfare, and wrapped up in 2004, the last comic book work released by Smith.  Until this week, that is.
The first of a three-issue series sees its release this Wednesday as Batman: Cacophony marks Smith’s maiden voyage into Gotham City. In a book that promises to pit the Dark Knight against familiar foes like the Joker, Zsasz, and Deadshot, it will also see the caped crusader take on Onomatopoeia, a serial killer who specifically targets non-powered superheroes and also happens to be an original creation of Smith’s, first introduced in the pages of his Green Arrow arc. Let’s just hope his fans will get to see how this one ends. |
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Art Seen
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Written by Kelly Crawford
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Tuesday, 11 November 2008 |
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It was tough to find energy during the final stretch of the 2008 election when our acoustic senses were getting burnt out from pundits, polls and political commercials. However, this visual exhibition of 2-D & 3-D art represents the same issues that have been pulsating out of the television, except they will be presented to you with much needed aesthetic improvements. Featuring painter Lidia Hasenauer, who roams between the genres of Cezanne and Vintage French Racing Posters, and Juried by 89-year-old Peter Selz, influential art historian of German Expressionism, this political incursion will be much prettier than the commentary of Hannity and Colmes.
Santa Cruz Art League, 526 Broadway, Santa Cruz. Free. 426-5787. Exhibit runs through Nov. 23. Noon–5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and Noon–4 p.m Sundays.
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361: The Extra Degree
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Written by Greg Archer
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Thursday, 06 November 2008 |
Music, appreciation and focus on the goals ahead dominated the hour
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The Morning After
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Written by Elizabeth Limbach
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Thursday, 06 November 2008 |
I’ve never hugged so many strangers as I did in downtown Santa Cruz the night Barack Obama was elected. But I’ll get to that in a minute…
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