Santa Cruz Good Times

Wednesday
Jun 19th
Text size
  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size

From the Editor

Thursday, 01 March 2012 11:18 Greg Archer Columns - Editors Note
 E-mail
greg archerPlus Letters to the Editor 

Few would argue that these days, coffee has become more than just about drinking the beverage itself. Especially if you’re out ordering coffee at a local coffeehouse. From the wide range of specialty drinks to the time we actually spend at a coffeehouse—socializing, working and, of course, drinking coffee—our “coffee experience” has become just that—an experience. One local enterprise, Verve, has risen in popularity over the last few years because it knows exactly what Santa Cruzans want in their java endeavors. This week, Christa Martin wonderfully captures the unique drive behind the company and the huge role it plays in the upcoming—and downright intriguing—South West Regional Barista Competition being held at the Rittenhouse Building in Downtown Santa Cruz beginning March 9. We’ll see you at the event.

More inspiration came this week with the official announcement of the headliners performing at the upcoming Blues Festival, beginning May 26 at Aptos Village Park. It’s the 20th anniversary of the revered local event, and, this year, festival planners have lured in some of the best in music—Los Lobos, Joan Osbourne, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Johnny Lang, Elvin Bishop, James Cotton, Coco Montoya and The Doobie Brothers. (Yes, those brothers.) All great fun ahead. Learn more at santacruzbluesfestival.com.

Some fun news that came across my desk: Jess Brown, executive director of the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau and the organization Agri-Culture, is appearing in an international ad for Jameson Whisky. The ad, which is on display in numerous spots around European and U.S. cities (from San Francisco to New York City) is an original oil painting by a local artist. It’s good to see another local gain visibility, and Brown deserves the kudos. In addition to his amazing work at the Farm Bureau, he has also served as president of Santa Cruz Cultural Council and Monterey Museum of Art. Congrats Jess. Cheers.

Have a great week. Thanks for reading.

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

Predicting Policing?
Please! The article on “Predictive Policing” in the Feb. 9 issue of GT made me laugh. I frequently walk on the river levee and find that anyone with their eyes and ears open can predict when a drug deal is gonna go down. Duh. No technology or complex algorithm needed there.
Patti Sirens
Santa Cruz

DeLaveaga Review in Question
While Karen Peterson gave an excellent review of the food and natural beauty of DeLaveaga (GT 2/16), it was very disappointing that she missed the point on what makes the place so special. How many restaurants in this county have been owned and operated by the same families for 42 years? George Vomvolakis, the man she referred to as the "morning's host," has owned and operated the restaurant with partner and chef John Bei since opening in 1970. How can you mention another chef's name and miss the fact that the same man who created the menu 42 years ago is still back there running the kitchen? Locals who go to DeLaveaga do so because of the great food and friendly atmosphere that George and Jon have created, and it’s fantastic that they're still doing it after all these years. Had Karen done a little bit of homework, she and her readers would have gotten a better idea of what DeLaveaga restaurant is really all about.
Pete Vomvolakis
Santa Cruz

Deconstructing Cohen’s Oscar Prank
I think it is kind of sick for Sasha Baron Cohen to be making light of Kim Jong Il’s death and ashes by pretending to spill them on Ryan Seacrest. We live in a really sick world. I mean these movie star people just don't have a clue as to what is going on in the world, or history or anything. I am saddened by their buffoonery, I mean, on the same day that major violence breaks out in Afghanistan, and the Burning of American flags taking place, Sasha decides to be a stupid idiot (like all Liberals when it comes to taste). Ouch.
David Brumfield
Aptos

Best Online Comments

On ‘Shift Happens’ ...
My competitor for the 5th District Supervisor position, Bruce McPherson, states that he is the only candidate experienced enough to: "Hit the ground running" by "Overseeing the realignment" plan. Seems to me, this is a failure of the State Government to keep prison populations in check, and a clever way for the State to cover this up. Mr McPherson has held major office positions in the state government during the past two decades. The number of prisoners that are to be released is 30,000. Nobody wants to mention this, (in fear of being branded a racist), but an estimate number of illegal immigrants in California state prisons in 2008 was 27,000. I am not a racist, but I do believe controlled immigration, which the State could have controlled long ago, would have helped decrease the criminal element that is plaguing this State and increasing prison populations which we cannot afford to control. I do honestly hope these prisoners do successfully integrate into society. My campaign is all about improving the economy and creating jobs, which I will work toward as I believe this is the only realistic way to take on this added burden by giving these guys jobs, versus someone overseeing it from the golf course.
Bill Smallman

On ‘Neighborhood Watch’ ...
I, too, grew up in this neighborhood—Ocean Street—(on and off), as well as helped my adult sister move into (as a better place) and out of (to a better place) since 1972. It is a richly diverse neighborhood inundated with children, poverty, small business owners, wonderful families, community organization as well as economic, alcohol, drug and co-addiction problems. The big money is not needed for these problems and they exist in every city. Please never forget all the children that do come from these neighborhoods and their parents (no longer children struggling to survive, but full adults expected to know how). Many reasons we all struggle to do better is that we are simply struggling to survive due to all of the issues cited above.
Coco Faulk

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

 

Silent Dilemma

An inside look at body image and eating disorders. PLUS: Why ‘fat’ is not a feeling. My earliest memory of “feeling fat” was when I was about 12 years old. Up until that time, I was not all that aware of having a body; I was pretty much just in my body, doing the things that kids do. I had not yet learned that I was supposed to look differently than I did. I had not yet downloaded the program that some foods were “good” and others were “bad.” I did not yet have exercise and movement linked up with calorie burning or self-worth.

 

Field to Vase

Open house provides opportunity for residents to meet their local flower growers Valentine’s Day is a high point of the year for those in the cut flower business. So when, one year in the late ’90s, the bouquet-riddled holiday failed to deliver for Kitayama Brothers Farms, the family behind the decades-old rose-growing business knew something was wrong.  “It was the writing on the wall,” recalls Stuart Kitayama, operations manager for the Watsonville-based company. “Those of us who had been hoping things would just get better finally said ‘it’s time to change.’”

 

The Price of Safety

The city's proposed budget addresses public safety needs The City of Santa Cruz’s pocketbook has come a long way since 2009, when an $8 million shortfall loomed. According to City Manager Martin Bernal, the proposed general fund budget for 2013-2014 is healthier than it has been since the beginning of The Great Recession in 2008. Armed with this returning stability, the proposal puts one of the community's top concerns—public safety—front and center.

 

Community Studies 2.0

After a controversial suspension, a new incarnation of the unique UC Santa Cruz major is reinstated The UC Santa Cruz community studies lounge is a great place to have a conversation.  Housed on the second floor of a faculty building in Oakes College, just down the hall from a whiteboard that reads “COMMUNITY STUDIES LIVES,” the room has a big round table, couches and chairs, and shelves stacked with past senior “capstone projects.”

 

North Pacific String Band

Jeff Wilson, who plays banjo for North Pacific String Band, loves being part of original music experiences. “What I like about the music we play is that it’s fairly unique and kind of hard to put your finger on,” Wilson says. “We’re not just trying to do bluegrass or country or folk. It’s a mixture of those things and we try to add in a lot of musicality to all of that.” Originality and musicality aren’t ideas which are limited to the band’s exploits either.

 

Peace in the Middle East

New dance-concert explores Palestinian-Israeli conflict Inspired by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, local choreographer Karl Schaffer’s “Mosaic” is a dance-concert featuring Jewish Diaspora and Arab music from the women’s choral group Zambra, singer Fattah Abbou and a troupe of local dancers. In between rehearsals for the show, which runs June 21-22 at Motion Pacific, Schaffer shared the story behind its creation.

 

Muscle-Bound

Valiant cast battles loud, ugly action for the soul of 'Man of Steel' Early in Man of Steel, fourth-grader Clark, the boy who will be Superman, is cowering in a broom closet at school, eyes screwed shut, hands clapped over his ears. He can't control his super powers: his X-ray vision shows him the skulls and skeletons under everyone's flesh; unfiltered noise—dogs, traffic, heartbeats—assault him from all sides. Rushing to school, his mom kneels outside the door and asks what's wrong.

 

CYNDI

On the eve of Cyndi Lauper’s Mountain Winery gig, we dissect the woman, the icon, the creative beast. Plus: Her thoughts on the music industry, equal rights and those sparkling ‘Kinky Boots’ Few performers possess the kind of fierce, she-bopping tenacity Cyndi Lauper has become famous for. Equal parts free spirit, civil rights activist and Grammy-winner, Lauper is one of the few creative artists able to successfully marry her cutting-edge verve with a heart-of-gold panache. It certainly has helped fuel the remarkable career resurgence she has been experiencing lately.

 

Making the Grade

The quest to identify sources of high levels of bacteria at Cowell Beach continues With straight As on Heal the Bay’s annual “beach report card” for 10 out of 13 Santa Cruz County beaches—Main Beach, Seabright, and even Cowell Beach at the Stairs, to name a few—it would seem that Santa Cruz boasts a high coastal GPA. But in recent years, one Santa Cruz beach just can’t seem to pass: Cowell Beach west of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf.

 

Summer Solstice, Full Moon, Mercury Retros

Early morning Wednesday Mercury, star of communication and conflict, turns stationary retrograde (23 Cancer). We all know by now what not to do. And what to do—through July 19.
GTemail_tileTomorow's GTW Today.
Sign up for Tomorrow's Good Times Today
Upcoming arts & events

Latest Comments

 

A Sustainable Culture

The popularity of old world yogurt is surging, and it’s easy to make at home Yogurt is a product of the ages. With a name originating in Turkey and probiotic benefits touted by the health food industry. A fondness for Greek-style yogurt has taken the country by storm, resulting in a tripling of the number of yogurt factories in New York State, and a $2 billion a year industry. What sets this Mediterranean yogurt apart is straining. Other cultures refer to the product as “hung” yogurt. Stirred yogurt is placed in a fine mesh strainer which has been lined with cheesecloth and suspended over a deep container. Watery whey seeps out, resulting in a thicker, denser yogurt with more protein by volume. It makes a lovely base for a stiffer tzatziki cucumber-garlic dip and spread.

 

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.

 

Is Edward Snowden a patriot or a traitor?

He's a patriot. Anyone who stands up for the rights that we stand for as a country, that is real democracy. That would be in my book—somebody who is a patriot. Leah WeissSanta Cruz | Therapist

 

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 |

 

Serene Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

There’s always an upbeat vibe going at MJA’s tasting room on the Westside. On a recent visit, the very sociable owner Marin Artukovich was busy pouring for a roomful of oenophiles having a good time. With the help of staff members, Artukovich makes sure that nobody waits too long to sample his fine wines, while also keeping track of every person’s flight.

 

Paying it Forward

Pianist Benny Green wants jazz’s past to continue to inform its future I can honestly say I’m still learning.” Hearing such an admirable, humble statement from someone like Benny Green—a jazz pianist, arranger, composer and band leader whose 30-plus year career includes performances and recordings with jazz luminaries like Oscar Peterson, Art Blakey and Betty Carter—might be surprising at first. But Green’s insatiable desire to keep learning has served him well. That desire—and his deep love of jazz—is something he wants today’s younger musicians to feel, too.

 

Good Morning Maui

Goodness, righteousness, virtuousness and fairness are some of the four-score English words that attempt to describe the Hawaiian essence of pono, whose use in the state motto translates to “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.”

 

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.

 

What’s your secret to avoiding the summer swarms?