Santa Cruz Good Times

Monday
May 20th
Text size
  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size

From the Editor

Tuesday, 12 April 2011 17:11 Greg Archer Columns - Editors Note
 E-mail
greg_archerPlus Letters to the Editor &

American Idol: The Durb Watch

On April 11, locals, family and friends of  Bryan Stow turned up to for a successful fundraiser at El Palomar in Downtown Santa Cruz. ($20,000 was raised.) The cantina and taco bar in the restaurant were packed and good wishes were extended to the local paramedic who was severly beaten by two men outside of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles several weeks ago. Stow suffered severe head injuries and was placed in a medically induced coma. Take note of a growing Facebook presence in Stow’s honor—“Our Prayers Are With Bryan Stow” or “Bryan Stow Family Relief” to learn more about how to pitch in and/or give support. A fund has also been set up at cuswirl.com.
As we move ahead into the weekend and that latter part of April—hard to believe—there’s plenty of upcoming events about to be unleashed. Hitting the top of the list is the Santa Cruz Film Festival, which kicks off May 5. It’s the 10th season of the fest, so expect some great parties and a fine crop of films. The opening night film, in fact, should capture your attention. Dubbed Prairie Love, the story unravels in North Dakota’s frozen plains and revolves around three people searching for love in the most curious ways. Think Coen Brothers or Wes Anderson. Catch up on all the film fest fodder at santacruzfilmfest.org.
But first, beginning April 21, is National Dance Week. Anybody that’s witnessed this passionate experience already knows what they’re in for—dance, yes, but truly riveting entertainment. The week is filled with many public performances, and local giants like Santa Cruz Dance and Motion Pacific, which are settling nicely in their new digs over at The Mill, in Santa Cruz, offers a slew of dance classes. Stay tuned for more updates. Meanwhile, go online and check out the complete schedule: santacruzdance.com/national.html.
Beyond that, there’s this week’s cover story, which certainly is a mindbender of sorts. Writer Damon Orion chats with local scribe—and “explorer” really—David Jay Brown, whose research and experience on consciousness, and more, is simply fascinating. Dive in.
Thanks for reading. More next time ...

Greg Archer | Editor-in-Chief
Letters to the Editor

Content? Really?
Dammit, whatever the merits of monetizable perspectives or behavioral advertising or real-time commenting, what Mr. Lamonica is talking  about in his letter on the survival of newspapers (April 4), it is not “content.” Did anyone ever say "Hey, that was a great piece of content on the Huffpost today!" or "Gotta go—I have to file my content for the Times"? Possibly, but I doubt it, because no one who actually writes anything for publication thinks of it as "content." It's a story or an opinion or a poem or something recognizable by anyone literate enough  to read it. And so long as the prophets of the new media continue to  think it is content, no one who actually writes the stuff will ever pay attention.
The only "content" I actually know is material written to attract search engines. It's commerce, yes, but it's essentially meaningless.
Cliff Barney
Aptos

Bank Issue
Regarding the cover story on forecosures, we received the 2010 1099—a form from Wells Fargo. On the form, Wells Fargo listed Freddie Mac as our mortgage lender. After we verified with Freddie Mac, Freddie Mac confirmed in writing that our mortgage loan was not Freddie Mac's mortgage loan.
A couple of weeks after we confronted Wells Fargo and Freddie Mac, Wells Fargo's CFO and Freddie Mac's COO both resigned just one day apart from each other. We highly suspect the resignations were triggered by irregularity of filings.
We are disputing that Wells Fargo originated us this fraudulent mortgage loan in 2005 and wrongfully foreclosed our home in 2010. Please refer to our fight against Wells Fargo's mortgage origination fraud, wrongful foreclosure and predatory lending practices at our website wellsfargomortgagefraud.com.
Wells Fargo cannot lawfully originate a fraudulent mortgage loan and wrongfully foreclose a home based on the fraudulent mortgage loan in the State of Nevada under Nevada State Statute NRS 205.372.
After we presented the written email from Freddie Mac confirming that Freddie Mac was not our mortgage lender:
1. Wells Fargo first denied in its Feb. 23 letter that it falsified the 1099-A form by listing Freddie Mac as our mortgage lender.
In its Feb. 23 letter, Wells Fargo clearly stated that it found no error on its 1099-A form by listing Freddie Mac as our mortgage lender knowing that Freddie Mac has confirmed to us that Freddie Mac doesn't own our mortgage loan.  Wells Fargo also clearly stated in this letter that after it originated us a "fraudulent" mortgage loan, Wells Fargo sold our loan to a pool of investors which was managed by U.S. Bank.
2. In its March 7 letter, Wells Fargo updated its 1099-A form by changing the mortgage lender from Freddie Mac to Wells Fargo. However, in the written letter on Feb. 23, Wells Fargo has admitted that it sold our mortgage loan to a pool of investors which is managed by U.S. Bank.
Since the mortgage loan Wells Fargo originated was fraudulent and it was already sold to a pool of investors, how can Wells Fargo defraud us by issuing the 2010 1099-A form, and also defrauding all the taxpayers by writing off the taxes.
This is tax fraud upon us. This is tax fraud upon IRS and this is tax fraud upon taxpayers.
Wells Fargo refused to disclose the list of investors who owns our mortgage loan.  We demand Wells Fargo to disclose the list of investors. All the investors who own our mortgage loan have rights to know the fact that Wells Fargo sold them a fraudulent mortgage loan.
It’s time to expose Wells Fargo's predatory lending practices.
Donna & Nuno Vieira
Santa Cruz
durb_watch durb_pic


James Durbin lives on on Idol. And our local  rocker surprised many with another bold move. While other singers rocked out to sizzling songs that made Elvis or Aretha icons, Durbin went the opposite route—he sat on a stool and sang "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with hypnotic restraint. Always full of surprises, this one. Biggest jaw-dropper of the week, though, was that Pia Toscano, an amazing singer with stellar pipes, didn't make the cut. She was sent home. But—surprise—rumors of a record deal surfaced the very next day. In the meantime, James Durbin continues to impress. Send us your thoughts and be sure to read an extended Durb Watch on Thursdays and Fridays at goodtimesantacruz.com.

Comments (0)Add Comment

Write comment
smaller | bigger

busy
< Prev   Next >
 

Share this on your social networks

Bookmark and Share

Share this

Bookmark and Share

  • Search

    •  

    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.”
    GTemail_tileTomorow's GTW Today.
    Sign up for Tomorrow's Good Times Today
    Upcoming arts & events

    Latest Comments

     

    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