Santa Cruz Good Times

Thursday
Jun 20th
Text size
  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size

From the Editor

Wednesday, 09 December 2009 12:31 Greg Archer Columns - Editors Note
 E-mail

greg_archerS2sPlus Letters to Good Times...
High Time
BEST OF THE ONLINE COMMENTS
Holiday Deadlines

Nothing really says “It’s Holiday Time!” like a kid so excited about all the bells and whistles the season can offer. The Downtown Association pulled out all the stops this year. The parade, while always festive, seemed more upbeat than usual. (It may have just been me and a good mood swing—who knows?) Regardless, what a treat to see downtown filled with so many people. GTv colleague (camera shy) Jeff Dinnell and Derby Girl maven Kim Luke cheerfully broadcasted the event for Community Television.  Food barrels were also on hand for Second Harvest Food Bank. (See the great decorations for SHFB) at the Rittenhouse Building downtown.) The presence of SHFB and other nonprofits in the parade was a welcome reminder that, of course, we’re all being asked to give a little, perhaps a lot, this year.

On that note, turn to page 8 in this week’s paper where we continue to raise awareness about the annual Community Foundation push to steer people to five noteworthy nonprofits striving to make a difference in the lives of locals in need. They are: Davenport Resource Service Center, Familia Center, La Manzana Community Resources, Live Oak Family Resource Center and Mountain Community Resources.

Actually, MCR, like the others mentioned, stands out for a number of reasons. But I did want to take this time to clarify some information listed in last week’s spotlight on the organization. GT had incorrectly reported that MCR had a fully volunteer staff. The staff is not fully volunteer. We regret the error. Learn more at cfscc.org/goodtimesfund or call 477-0800.

What’s left? GT is bringing back its 66-Word Short Story Contest. See page 32 for more details and a chance to win prizes. More next time ...

Greg Archer
Editor

Letters to Good Times Editor

High Time
Legalizing pot? Good luck with that. California, considered a bastion of liberalness, can’t even allow its gay partners to legally wed. How the hell is the state going to get it together long enough to legalize something like marijuana. I found the reporting in your cover story (GT 12/3) accurate and intriguing though. Let’s hope the powers that be and the voters have enough sense to do this one right.
John Franklin
Santa Cruz

BEST OF THE ONLINE COMMENTS
Swine Time
Regarding the swine flu news story, this is the most thoughtful article I have read about the outbreak of the H1N1 virus in the U.S. Writer Niko Kyriakou writes for citizens who want to know more than what appears on misleading network sound bites.
When the U.S. government spends $2 billion for 250 million doses of vaccine—enough to vaccinate 82 percent of the 304 million residents in the U.S.—pharmaceutical companies have a vested interest in vaccination campaigns.
I would welcome a “Pharmaceutical Commission of American Physicians” that would challenge excessive lobbying of pharmaceutical companies to use new vaccines. I do not assume that all vaccines are safe or effective. I do not assume that a national vaccination campaign is an automatic first response.
When the World Health Organization declares a pandemic, it creates fear and panic.
Also, I would prefer that the WHO would offer “technically correct factual information pure and simple.” When the Center for Disease Control and Prevention release figures about estimated and confirmed cases of a new strain of flu, it needs to state the basis for its statements. The CDC lost credibility in its reporting of H1N1 data and assessing the level of public danger. Major media sources were irresponsible and fueled unnecessarily the fear of a public health crisis.
—Aline G.

I am a Pharmacist who is licensed to administer vaccines, and have been involved in a number of vaccination clinics. This article represents the type of journalism that the American people should continue to feed off. I would encourage all people who are bombarded by statistics, which the "medical media" claims are gospel truth, to consider the fact that health agencies redefine their figures again and again. One thing I have learned is that the only statistic you can trust completely is that once you have a disease, you can be 100 percent sure that you do.
Before lining up for whatever program the government has to offer, people should seek the answers out for themselves. In my opinion, this article has reminded me to keep my mind open, consider the facts, weigh expert opinions, wash my hands, avoid sick people if possible, diet, exercise, and follow up on physician appointments. With great knowledge comes great responsibility.
—Charles, pharmacist

Holiday Deadlines
GOOD TIMES offices will be closed Wednesday, Dec. 23 through Friday, Jan 1 in observance of Christmas and New Year’s.  Deadlines for Dec. 22:
Display, Class Display, Bulletin Board and Classified ads: 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16. Calendar noon, Friday, Dec. 11. Deadlines for Dec. 29: Display, Class Display, Bulletin Board and Classified ads: 4 p.m., Friday, Dec. 18. Calendar: noon, Wednesday, Dec. 16. Deadlines for Jan 7: Display, Class Display, Bulletin Board and Classified ads: 4 p.m., Monday, Dec. 21; Calendar: noon, Thursday, Dec. 17.

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?