Santa Cruz Good Times

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May 21st
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GT Columns

Editors Note

From the Editor

From the Editor

Plus Letters to Good Times
High Times
Making the Most of the Coast
Spending Locally
Holiday Deadlines

So long 2009, hello 2010—and a new decade, too. If you haven’t already been waxing philosophical as the year and the decade draw to a close, the time is certainly ripe for it now. In this issue, we take a look back over the last 10 years and pluck out (only) 10 things that stood out and deserved mention. There’s so much more, of course, so send us your thoughts ([email protected]) on the issues that held us captivated during 2000-2009 and we’ll print some of your insights. But be sure click to this week's cover story and look at the local standouts.

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Astrology

The New Year of 2010

The New Year of 2010

Happy New Year of 2010, everyone! Two years to the countdown, yes? 2010 begins under the light of a blue Capricorn/Cancer full moon (revelation, Initiation); the shadow of a lunar eclipse (much in matter simply dissolves away); Mars (the Nine tests of Scorpio) retrograde (activities are internal and hidden); Mercury retrograde (thoughts are withdrawn); and a void-of-course (no connections) on the very first day (Jan. 1). It’s a most unusual beginning to a new year. 2010 will be a year of internal reflection, great tests (Mars), surprising revelations with unfulfilled aspects of our lives surfacing in forms we may not recognize. Our energy will feel withheld, suspended, pending and internalized. 2010 offers constant change and transformation symbolized by four major planets in cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn). Cardinal signs initiate new realities, cannot stand back to mull things over (mutable signs), or stay with “business as usual” (fixed signs).

Cardinal signs remove hindrances and obstacles that inhibit forward growth, change and progress. Here is the 2010 dialogue we can expect from the cardinal signs: Aries says, “I’ll initiate the new realities.” Libra says, “I’ll get everyone to participate.” Capricorn says, “I’ll reshape and redesign leaders, governments and our entire civilization.” We, too, individually and collectively, will be summoned to reshape our world. We will need to be practical in all areas, explore and search in all directions for solutions to world problems that create greater resilience and equanimity for all peoples of the world.

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Editors Note

From the Editor

From the Editor

Plus Letters to Good Times...
Matters of the Art
A Harvest for Second Harvest
Obama’s Nation
Holiday Deadlines

We have published a few days earlier this week because, well, there’s so much to share before our New Year’s issue.  At the top of the list is, of course, the obvious—the holidays and the fact that the year is racing to an end. But first, there’s plenty of celebrating to do—whether you’re doing it for spiritual or religious reasons, or just gearing up for a festive time on New Year’s Eve. It’s certainly been one whopper of a year, so, in my book, it doesn’t hurt to celebrate just getting through it.

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Local Talk

Give? Receive? Which is Better?

Give? Receive? Which is Better?

It's better to give because in giving
we receive.
Lauren Miller
Santa Cruz | Waitress

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Opinion

An Irrational Decision to Buy Local

An Irrational Decision to Buy Local

We’re well into the Christmas shopping season (note to self: is it proper to refer to Christmas?) and it’s a key time for local merchants (answer to self: it is Christmas, dammit, so that’s what we should call it).

Every year since I’ve been in Santa Cruz, there’s been some self-imposed pressure to buy gifts in Santa Cruz – even if there might be slightly better prices or more selection elsewhere.

For years, there was a practical rationale for me – as an editor at the local daily, and I of course was interested in supporting our advertisers. It was a lot easier to interview someone for a story if they knew that I was a supporting member of the community. Plus, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

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Astrology

Lights That Make Us Holy

Lights That Make Us Holy

During this season of gift giving and seeking light in the darkness, very few of us need any more material gifts. Nor do we need another column prophesying the coming weeks (Mercury retrograde, Dec. 26-Jan. 15, 2010). A different and illuminating gift for each of us would be the ability to understand our true identity. For 18 million years (true number), as spirits in matter, we have lived within, experienced and uncovered the secrets of form and matter. Removed for so long from our spiritual origins, we became more and more unable to remember our true identity. There comes a lifetime or a moment, a teacher, a word, a phrase, a picture or a beam of unexpected light that allows us a fleeting glimpse into our true identity—at this moment we realize we are composed of light. Each of us, living under a certain pattern of stars (constellation), imprinted upon us at birth, is quite like a star, a beam of light carrying information into the world, influencing and affecting all that we contact. Through eons of life on the dark Earth we have awaited the light of the seasons, the new light at winter solstice, the light in the dark, the many festivals of light, the miracle of light at Chanukah, the Holy Child of light born on Christmas morning. This year, let us think differently. Let us recognize and identify that we are in fact a rainbow of light, and that within our light are specific tasks, purposes, behaviors, abilities and gifts we unconsciously radiate upon each other and all we contact. During this season of giving let us realize we are the gifts of holy light and spiritual anchors offered to each other during our temporary (and very long) lifetimes on Earth (a cosmic school). This realization is the thinking and identity of the Initiate, the spiritual attainment in Capricorn, sign and signature of God, sign of Light supernal, of the mountaintop experience, where we, the crocodile/goat turns into the unicorn. Capricorn captures (absorbs) the light of the Sun and brings it down to Earth to serve in Aquarius. Let us understand our light and what our lights radiate that makes us so holy to one another. (Excerpts from the Tibetan’s book “Esoteric Astrology”)

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Editors Note

From the Editor

From the Editor

Plus Letters to Good Times...
That Health Care Bill
If The Shoe Fits
WEW Revisited
Holiday Deadlines


It’s the giving season, but I’d be remiss in not pointing out some things we could give our attention to in 2010, particularly climate change. As you may know, the United Nations Climate Change Conference is taking place in Copenhagen through Dec. 18. Representatives from 170 countries are expected to be in attendance, and it’s estimated that about 8,000 people—from journalists to activists to government reps—will attend.

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Local Talk

Are any wars justified?

Are any wars justified?

I think the only wars that are justified are wars that are actually done to save lives. Under a violent genocidal government such as Sudan I believe a war to save the people, if genocide is occuring, would be justified. Wars over resources, material goods and wars to spread so-called Democracy are not justified.
Brenda Barnhart
Santa Cruz | Unemployed

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Opinion

12 Memories of Christmas

12 Memories of Christmas

It was a damp, frigid, twilit afternoon in Wilmette, Illinois, where we were spending Thanksgiving with Art Boy's 91-year-old mom, Helen. Art Boy and I were out walking with his brother, David, when we ducked into the Wilmette Historical Society Museum to dodge a passing rainshower. The curator was about to close up for the evening, but he was thrilled to meet members of a family who'd lived in town for generations, fishing hopefully for any stray family artifacts that might be lying around.

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Astrology

Mars Retrograde, Winter Solstice

Mars Retrograde, Winter Solstice

The important astrological news this week is Mars (Ray 6) retrograde (19.42 degrees Leo) early Sunday morning (Dec. 20) and winter solstice (Monday, Dec. 21) as Sun enters Capricorn (9:47 a.m. Pacific time). Mars is retrograde until March 10, 2010 (74 days). Mars has been slowing down since mid October, so many have wondered at the increasing dawdling about in areas where we must take action. Mars is the definitive sign of “action” and energy. Mars only retrogrades every 2.2 years. So humanity isn’t as familiar with Mars retrogrades as with Mercury retrogrades (occurring Dec. 26). Mars signifies energy and will, devotion and desire, anger, wars and all outward actions. Mars retrograde shifts these outward behaviors inward so we can review and reorient (Scorpio work, Mars rules Scorpio) and make things new again when Mars is direct. With Mars retrograde in Leo (especially Leo Sun/rising/moon, Aquarius and the remaining fixed signs Taurus and Scorpio) the entire world becomes introspective in order to review beliefs and attitudes concerning life itself. The life force Mars exhibits becomes subdued, it’s warring energy softened. Leo is very independent, exuberant and dramatic. With Mars in Leo retrograde we will see dependence, shyness, inner reflections. It will be interesting to see what films and Broadway shows (theater) emerge during Mars retro in Leo.  It’s important to be aware that anger, wars, violence, the dark side of Mars, may be somewhat hidden during these two months. It doesn’t disappear, it becomes aggravated. Because of the Leo, it’s not a good time to gamble or take risks of any type. Our hearts (physical, throbbing), arteries, blood need special care, as do children and loved ones. How will the Leo Mars retro affect us?

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    Bring Your Own Bag

    Single-use plastic bag bans are underway Shoppers in Capitola, Watsonville, the City of Santa Cruz, and the unincorporated parts of the county are, by now, becoming accustomed to the absence of plastic bags. On Sept. 20, 2011, Santa Cruz County became the first local jurisdiction to pass an ordinance that banned single-use plastic bags and implemented a fee for paper bags, which took effect last spring. Watsonville, Capitola, and Santa Cruz followed suit with similar actions: Watsonville’s ordinance went into effect last September, and, as of last month, the bans in Capitola and the City of Santa Cruz are now in place.

     

    The Maya-Ixil Move Forward

    Local nonprofit works to educate and create opportunity for indigenous communities in Guatemala In an isolated region of the Guatemala mountains called Ixil, the indigenous Maya population was devastated by a civil war between the government and leftist guerrilla factions that spanned 1960 to 1996. During that 36-year war, the Guatemalan military eradicated entire Mayan communities. In what amounted to genocide, soldiers burned Mayan farmlands and homes, raped and tortured the people, and scattered families. By the end of the war, 200,000 Mayans had been killed, 7,000 of whom were Maya-Ixil.

     

    Public Thinking

    Watsonville teens host TEDx event Santa Cruz County is no stranger to the TED brand. TED—which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design—talks have come to the area through independently organized events 10 times since 2011. This month, the gathering returns to the county with a new twist, thanks to the Watsonville Youth City Council. TEDxYouth@Watsonville, which will take place Sunday, May 19 at the Henry J. Mello Center for the Performing Arts in Watsonville, will feature only speakers younger than 19 years old and will traverse topics from racial stereotypes and renewable energy to traditional Mexican dance.

     

    The Tilt

    Although Jesse Malley, lead singer of the outlaw country, blues and rock ’n’ roll band The Tilt, no longer lives in Santa Cruz, she was born and raised here and this is where her love of music and performance began. “My dad worked at The Catalyst for 27 years, so I got to see a lot of music acts come through town,” she says. “Music always seemed to me to be such an incredible way to express yourself that I just stumbled upon my voice and jumped into it.” That jump eventually led to Malley heading down to San Diego to pursue a music career, and her band The Tilt has just released their full-length debut, Howlin’.

     

    Whole Lotta Blues

    The 11-piece, husband-and-wife-led Tedeschi Trucks Band headlines the Santa Cruz Blues Festival Guitarist Derek Trucks and vocalist/guitarist Susan Tedeschi, the husband-and-wife team at the helm of The Tedeschi Trucks Band, have learned that in a band as well as in a marriage, the best way to keep things running smoothly is sometimes to take a step back. That’s especially true when you’re dealing with an 11-piece group that, in addition to its namesakes, features two drummers, a keyboardist/flautist, a three-piece horn section and two harmony vocalists.

     

    Beck to the Future

    In celebration of Beck’s solo acoustic show at The Rio, GT explores Song Reader, the alternative rock icon’s most ambitious interactive art piece yet. Here’s an odd little paradox of the digital revolution: The more sophisticated our technology gets, the more our musical milieu begins to resemble that of a bygone era, when song ideas were passed around from musician to musician, perpetually taking on new twists. Dozens of different YouTube users might try their hand at setting somebody’s rant about cats or double rainbows to music, or you might hear the Belgian musician Gotye turning the many and varied covers of his song “Somebody That I Used to Know” into a virtual orchestra (see below).

     

    Land of Lions

    New research provides foundation to look at protecting mountain lions, particularly when it comes to Highway 17 An adult male mountain lion called simply “Number 16” by the Santa Cruz Puma Project led a scientifically interesting life for the more than two-year period he was tracked by the UC Santa Cruz-based research project. According to Chris Wilmers, associate professor of environmental studies at UCSC and head of the Puma Project, the group initially caught and collared Number 16 in Loch Lomond. He then proceeded to cross Highway 17 several times, where he was eventually was hit, but survived. In an unusual move for an adult male, Number 16 then shifted his home range to the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. Recently, the lion’s tracking collar went on “mortality mode.” The day before Wilmers spoke to Good Times, the researchers found his skeleton.

     

    So Sleep (Pralaya) Does Not Overtake Us

    Sunday is Pentecost, a festival of the Holy Spirit (Ray 3 of Divine Intelligence). Pentecost is the name given to the descent of the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire appearing above the heads of Christ’s (Piscean World Teacher) Disciples (students) in an upper room (plane of the Mind). Pentecost is not a simple bible story. It’s an actual experience for each individual as the Light of the Soul begins to direct the personality with spiritual gifts and virtues – wisdom, understanding (all ideas, all hearts), knowledge and Right Judgment (directing the intellect), wonder, fortitude/courage and respect/reverence (directing our willingness to serve).

     

    Legal Battles Drag On

    More than a year after the 75 River St. occupation, four defendants remain embroiled in ongoing case  More than a year and a half since a group occupied the former Wells Fargo building on River Street in an act of protest, felony charges linger on for four of the original defendants and a trial may be imminent. Gabriella Ripley-Phipps, Brent Adams, Cameron Laurendeau and Franklin Alcantara were scheduled to begin trial May 13 in connection with the late 2011 protest. That trial now has been pushed back to September due to scheduling conflicts. The four face a felony charge of vandalism and a misdemeanor for trespassing.

     

    Bringing the Message Home

    Former mayor and UCSC student recap their experiences at the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women While traveling to New York for the 57th United Nations (UN) Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), seasoned local activist Jane Weed-Pomerantz had a notion of what to expect. But, with the vast scope of worldwide women’s rights violations presented at the commission, she knew she would still be taken aback at times. “I was worried because I had a feeling I would be finding out what I did find out about women and girls in the world,” says Weed-Pomerantz. “I was trying to brace myself for the knowledge of the reality, because we are really very protected in this country.”
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    May Day in the Alps

    When my daughter returns to Santa Cruz from her new home in Los Angeles, she comments on how quiet it is here. It was even more so during a trip to Ben Lomond, when we set out for a sample of her second favorite macaroni and cheese. Sitting at the front of the Tyrolean Inn restaurant, the green tarp with plastic windows kept out the chill as well as the noise of an occasional passing car. A new draft beer celebrating the German spring, Maibok ($6) was refreshing, served in a hefty glass stein, but specialty cocktails are unique as well.

     

    The Power of Conversation

    Local author Cecile Andrews emphasizes importance of community engagement in newest book Cecile Andrews, author of the new book “Living Room Revolution: A Handbook for Conversation, Community and the Common Good,” probably wouldn’t get along too well with Larry David’s character from HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, known for hiding his face and avoiding communication with anyone he runs into on the street. Andrews is a longstanding part-time Santa Cruz (part-time Seattle) resident who says something that’s struck her about this town over the years is people's willingness to participate in a practice she’s dubbed the “Stop and Chat”—which is exactly what it sounds like.

     

    What are you a total sucker for?

    A cold beer after a long bike ride, gossip, and fighting over politics. Kyle McKinley Santa Cruz | Lecturer

     

    Best of Santa Cruz County

    The 2013 Santa Cruz County Readers' Poll and Critics’ Picks It’s our biggest issue of the year, and in it, your votes—more than 6,500 of them—determined the winners of The Best of Santa Cruz County Readers’ Poll. New to the long list of local restaurants, shops and other notables that captured your interest: Best Beer Selection, Best Locally Owned Business, Best Customer Service and Best Marijuana Dispensary. In the meantime, many readers were ever so chatty online about potential new categories. Some of the suggestions that stood out: Best Teen Program and Best Web Design/Designer. But what about: Dog Park, Church, Hotel, Local Farm, Therapist (I second that!) or Sports Bar—not to be confused with Bra. Our favorite suggestion: Best Act of Kindness—one reader noted Café Gratitude and the free meals it offered to the Santa Cruz Police Department in the aftermath of recent crimes. Perhaps some of these can be woven into next year’s ballot, so stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy the following pages and take note of our Critics’ Picks, too, beginning on page 91. A big thanks for voting—and for reading—and an even bigger congratulations to all of the winners. Enjoy.  -Greg Archer, EditorBest of Santa Cruz County Readers’ Poll INDEX | Shops | Food & Drink | Arts & Entertainment | Health & Fitness | Professionals | The Rest |

     

    Vine & Dine: Pine Ridge Vineyards

    Chenin Blanc + Viognier 2012 On a recent trip to Palm Springs, I came across Pine Ridge Vineyards’ Chenin Blanc + Viognier at a new downtown restaurant called Lulu. Superbly decorated in Hollywood-esque style and with a very hip vibe, this California bistro is one of the hottest new dining spots—and the Chenin Blanc was just the right wine to pair with some of Lulu’s Happy Hour tapas-style food. And eating outdoors in the desert’s warm night air makes a chilled white wine taste even better.

     

    Making Sense of Soul

    Allen Stone wants to give R&B back some of its depth Whether fairly or unfairly, R&B and soul music often get typecast. Much of the music is groove-inducing and has an overtly romantic, sensual or sexual side to it, and the suggestive lyrics only reinforce this mood. That is fine and well, but for R&B and soul singer Allen Stone, it is not enough. “I love music that’s about love, and I love R&B songs, but I also like songs that have influence on culture,” Stone says. "I believe that if you’re given a microphone you need to use it in a positive way, and I feel like pop culture, more often than not, doesn’t. I think that [pop stars] are very bad stewards of the microphone they’ve been given, and the voices they’ve been given, and they tend to talk about pretty futile and shallow things, rather than subjects which uplift the children in our culture, or the teenage culture, or the young adult generation. If you’re given a microphone, you should say something that’s deeper than, ‘I’m going to the club and I’m going to drink cognac.’”

     

    Step on up to the Bar

    Here in Santa Cruz County, we are privileged to have farm-fresh greens year-round. Making a nightly salad at home is a snap since the emergence of pre-washed greens, and vinaigrette dressing is made easily with your favorite vinegar and small spoon of Dijon mustard whisked with a bit of olive oil.

     

    Exposed

    David Cay Johnston’s new book explains how big companies rob us blind In his late teens David Cay Johnston started to ask questions. “Why do we have these guys in uniforms with guns driving around in cars all day?” “Why is the Santa Cruz County Courthouse being built in such an unusual shape?” He wrote an article, while still living in his hometown of Santa Cruz, proving that the off-kilter courthouse building, which officials had promised would save money, actually cost more than a conventional building.

     

    Do you unplug often enough? Or do you need help?

    Santa Cruz | Caregiver