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Super Meat Boy and the Santa Cruz indie gaming revolution p11

Game Changer

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december 15-22, 2010 SANTACRUZ.COM

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Contents.

P OSTS

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CURRENTS

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COVER STORY A&E

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S TA G E , A R T & EVENTS

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B E AT S C A P E CLUB GRID FILM

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ASTR OLOGY

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CLASSIFIEDS

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ON THE COVER Illustration by Paul Scott

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Entire contents Š 2010 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form prohibited without publisherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s written permission. Unsolicited material should be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope; Santa Cruz Weekly is not responsible for the return of such submissions.

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Posts.

P o ts os t.

Messages M eessaggees &

327B=@7/: 327B = =@7/: EDITOR E D I TO R B@/17 6C97:: B@/ 17 6C97:: 6

(thukill@santacruzweekly.com) (thukill@sant tacruzw a eeekly.com) STAFF STA AFF WRITERS WR RITERS B3AA/ ABC/@B B3AA/ ABC/@B (tstuart@santacruzweekly.com) (tstuart@sant tacruzw a eeekly.com) @716/@2 D=< 0CA/19 @ 716/@2 D=< 0C CA/19 (richard@santacruzweekly.com) (richar rd@santtaacruzweeekly.com m) CONTRIBUTING C ONTRIBUTING EDIT E EDITOR OR 16 @7AB7</ E/B3@A 16@7AB7</ E/B3@A POETRY PO ETR RY E EDITOR DITOR @ @=03@B AE/@2 =03@B AE/@2 E EDITORIAL DITORIAL INTERN IN NTERN 9/B3 8/1=0A=< 9/B3 8/1=0A=<

C CONTRIBUTORS ONTRIB BUTORS @=0 0@3HA<G @ =0 0@3HA<G

;/C@33< 2/D72A=< ;/ C@33< 2/D72A=< >/C: ; 2/D7A ;716/3: A 5/<B > /C: ; 2/D7A ;716/3: A 5/<B /<2@3E 57:03@B 1/B 8=6<A=< / <2@3E 57:03@B 1/B 8=6<A=< AB3>63< 93AA:3@ 83AA71/ :G=<A A B3>63< 93AA:3@ 83AA71/ :G=<A A1=BB ;/11:3::/<2 A 1=BB ;/11:3::/<2 AB3D3 >/:=>=:7 >/C: E/5<3@ AB3D3 >/ /:=>=:7 >/C: E/5<3@

Send letters letteerrs to to Santa Santa Cruz Weekly, Weekly e y, let letters@santacruz.com teerrss@san nttaacruz.com or to to A Attn: ttn: LLetters, eett et ttteeerrs, 115 Co C Cooper ooper e St., Sant San Santaa Cruz, uz 95060.

060. Inclu Include udee cit city ittyy and phone phone numb er or email address. address. Submissions Subm missions mayy be be edit teed ffor oorr length, length cl le leng laritt y or or ffactual ac actual a inac a curacies racies know nown ttoo us s. number edited clarity inaccuracies known us.

ABC;0:7<5 ABC;0:7<5 C>AB@3/; C> AB@3/ /; â&#x20AC;&#x153;SWIMMING â&#x20AC;&#x153;SW IMMING U UPSTREAMâ&#x20AC;?

PSTR TREAMâ&#x20AC;? ((Cover Cover e stor story, y, Dec. Dec. 8 8)) w was as m marred arred b byy Jo Joyce oyce Ambrosius Ambrosius of of tthe he NOAA NOAA being being misinformed misinformed about about how how the the fish f ish i release release flows f lows operate op perate at Loch Loch Lomond Lomond Dam. Dam. The The city city maintains maintains a flow f low release release of of slightly over over e 1 cfs (448 (448 4 gpm) year yeear round, round, 24/7, 24/77, regardless of the cconditions on nditions in the lak e. T his regardless lake.

This is is required required by by their their permit. permit. So So this this means means that that they they may may release release less less than than the the flow f low in in the the u upper pper rreaches eaches o off Newell Newell Creek Creek in in tthe he winter winter (unless (unless the the dam dam is is spilling), spilling), but but they they may also also release release more more than than the the upper upper reach reach may f lows iin n ssummer ummer w hen tthe he sstream tream sslows. lows. T hat flows when That results results in in improved improved environmental environmental conditions conditions downstream downstream all summer. sum mmer.

Iff Ms. Ms. Ambrosius Ambrosius w wants ants m more ore fflow low iin n the the San San

Lorenzo L orenzo R River iver she she iiss not not llikely ikely tto o gget et tthat hat w with ith the op eration plan the cit fo or desalination. operation cityy has has for served advocating She would be be better bettter t ser veed by by adv ocating ffor o or tertiary ter tiary waste waste water water reclamation reclamatiion from from the which ccityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plant, plant, w hich ccould ould then then be pumped pumped tto o tthe he h head ead o off tthe he S San an L Lorenzo orenzo River River Lagoon, Lago oon, jjust ust below b elow wher wheree the cit cityy dra draws aw ws itss sur surface face w water ater supply. water supply ly. This This hi reclaimed reclaimed l i dw ater would w ld offset offffset (7.8 per the 12.2 cfs (7 7..8 million gallonss p er day) daayy) that tthe he ccity ity d draws raws iin n the the ssummer, ummer, and and k keep eep m more ore water w ater fflowing lowing iin n tthe he rriver. iver. Itt also also has has far far m more ore ec ological merit than desalina ation. ecological desalination.

Jim Bentle Bentley, ey, Cit City t y of Sant Santa ta Cru Cruz uz Sup Superintendent erintendent off Water Production W at ateer Plant and Pr roduction 1994â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2008

53B =44 B63 5@/AA 53 B =44 B63 5@/AA THANKS THAN KS ffor or o the h ar article ticle l on ffish iissh h and d the h desalination issue issue.. I w was as surpr surprised prised to see the

quote q uote ffrom rom Jo Joyce oyce Ambrosius, Ambrosius, N NOAA OAA F Fisheries isheries supervisor, saying saying that that in in dry dry years years â&#x20AC;&#x153;Santa â&#x20AC;&#x153;Santa supervisor, Cruz Cruz has has a hard hard time time meeting meeting the the needs needs of of the the fo or drinking water. water.â&#x20AC;? public for The T he ttruth ruth iis, s, iin nad dry ry year year tthe he city city h has as n no o problem supplying supplying drinking drinking water, water, but but it it problem does does have haave a hard hard time supplying water water for for o two golf golf courses courses and and outdoor outdoor residential residential two landscaping. landscaping. According According to to the the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2005 2005 Urban Management Plan, singleUrrban Water W singleefamily family residential residential customers customers use use an an average average of 25 an 25 percent percent of their water water outdoors outdoors and nd multifamily multifam mily housing uses an average average off 22 percent percent of of its its water water outdoors. outdoors. The The golf golf courses courses use 3 p percent cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water.

The good e cent of the cit er yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s w ater. Th he go od newsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;we newsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;we can can change change our our landscaping landscaping a little little and and save save a lot, lot, and and we we wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have have to to quit quit drinkingg water. water. when IItâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a sad sad sstate tate of of affairs affairs w hen aan n aagency gency charged charged with with protecting protecting endangered endangered fish f ish supports supports desalination. desalination. Desalination Desalination plants plants use tremendous trem mendous amounts of ffossil ossil o fuels, fuels, increasing atmosphere, incr easin ng carbon carbon dioxide in the atmosp phere, off tthe ocean, with ccontributing ontributing to to acidification acidif ication o he o cean, w ith on rresulting esulting iimpacts mpacts o n ffisheries. isheries. Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t we we just just ttry ry live water to liv ve within w our natural w ater limits?

Karrin Gr Karin Grobe, obe, Santa Sa anta Cruz

/@B / /@ B >@=2C1 1B7=< >@=2C1B7=< DESIGN D ESIGN D DIRECTOR I R E C TO R 9/@/ 0@=E< 9/@/ 0@= 0 E< PRODUCTION P RODUCTION D DIRECTOR IR RECTOR 6/@@G /::7A=< 6/@@G /::7A=< : GRAPHIC DESIGNER G RAPHIC D ESIGNER B/07 H/@@7<<//: B/07 H/@@7< <<//: EDITORIAL EDITORIAL PRODUCTION P RO D U C T I O N A3/< 53=@53 A3/< 53 3=@53 AD AD DESIGNERS DESIGNERS 83<<G =/B3G 83<<G =/B3G G 27/<</ D/<3G193 27/<</ D/ /<3G193

27A>:/G /2D3@B7A7<5 27A>:/ /G /2D3@B77A7<5 ACCOUNT A CCOUNT EXECUTIVES EXECU UTIVES /:713 1=:0G / :713 1=:0G (alic (alice@santacruz.com) e@santtaacruz.com) 8=13: 8=13:G< ;/1<37: :G< G ;/ /1<37: (jocelyn@santacruz.com) (jocelyn@santtac a ruz.com) 77:/</ @/C16 >/193@ :/</ @/C16 >/193@ (ilana@santacruz.com) (il (ilana@sant @ tac a ruz.com))

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4@=; B63 E30 4 @= =; B63 E30 CLEVER o CLEVER off yyou ou not not tto o ask ask about about S Soquel oquel Creek. drained byy tthis C reek. Ag Ag land land tthat hat iiss d rained b his rriparian iparian ccorridor orridorr has had dec decades ades of DDT DDT applie applied; ed; Monterey Bay National Sanctuary Monter ey B ay N ational Marine Sanctu uary flat states brown water f lat out st ates this br own storm w ater runrrun-off offf carries DDT bay biology. carries DD D T into the ba ay and harms its biolo gy.

IIf, f, as Dr. Dr. Andrew Andrew Fisher Fisher told the SqCW SqCW directors May off 2 2008, hee ssaw off d irectors iin nM ay o 008, h aw a ssystem ystem o wells hills harvesting iinjection njection w ells iin n tthe he h ills h arvesting rrain ain iin n tributaries Soquel Creek, theree the tribu utaries leading to So quel C reek, ther would bee tthree desal w ould b hree rresults: esults: No No need need ffor or d esal tto o public ccreate reate aadequate dequate aaquifer quifer ccapacity apacity ffor or tthe he p ublic with off D DDT w ith a ggravity-fed ravity-fed ssystem, ystem, a llowering owering o DT pollution bay p ollutio on in the ba ay and less silt to ffoul oul o the beds off S Soquel Creek, which sspawning pawning ggravel ravel b eds o oquel C reek, w hich historically endangered has histo orically low rreturns eturns of endanger red salmon trout. ccoho oho sal lmon and steelhead tr out.

To water department has no T o tthink hink tthat hat tthe he w ater d epartment h as n o environment puerile. rresponsibility esponsiibility in our en vironment is pu uerile.

That have off T hat tthey hey h ave iignored gnored Dr. Dr. Fisher Fisher in in ffavor avor o $120 million project will a$ 120 m illion construction construction p roject tthat hat w ill negatively n egatively effect effect tthe he eenvironment nvironment ((desal desal aadds dds pollution dumped bay) tto o the the p ollution d umped in in tthe he b ay) aand nd iits ts customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s custome erâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bills is not too too hard hard to imagine. imagiine.

Don n Heichel, By email

SANTACRUZ.COM

december 15-22, 2010

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december 15-22, 2010 SANTACRUZ.COM

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Currents.

C urrent n s.

07@2 6=CA3 07@2 6=CA3 The C Cal-Cruz aal- Cruz Hat Hatcheries cheries building nearr R Rodriguez odriguez and Se Seventh venth A Avenue venue

On EEggshells g ggshell ls New pho New photos tos rraise aise old questions q tions ques about hat tchery hatchery 0G 83AA71/ :G=<A

0G 8 3 A A 7 1 / :G= < A

L

AST M AST MONTH, ONTH, w while hile aatt tthe he Buena Vista Kelly B uena V ista llandfill, andf ill, K elly Luker L uker ssaw aw a white white Cal-Cruz Cal- Cruz Hatcheries truck t dumping mounds of ffluffy lufffy yellowish yello owish material.

R emembering tthat hat C al-Cruz had had been been in in Remembering Cal-Cruz tthe he n news ews earlier earlier in in the the year, year, she she p pulled ulled out out h er ccamera amera p hone aand nd moved moved ccloser loser tto o her phone ttake ake pictures. pictures. walk keed up to get a better better view, view, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I walked had pretty what tthough hough I h ad a p retty ggood o ood iidea dea w hat iitt w as,â&#x20AC;? L uker ssays. ays. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x153;Looking Looking ccloser, loser, I ssaw aw was, Luker lit little tle chick eyes eyes staring staringg out of mangled h heads eads aand nd p pieces ieces o off ffeet eet aand nd be beak ak sc scattered attter t ed ab about. out. You Yo ou canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t can a â&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see something lik ke that and eat chick ken again.â&#x20AC;? like chicken Santa C ruz aauthorities uthorities h ad iin n2 009 Santa Cruz had 2009 tthrough hrough 2010 2010 investigated investigated the the L ive O ak Live Oak hatcher ver allegatio ons of animal hatcheryy o over allegations

cruelty, including cruelty, including the the disposal disposal of of live live unwanted eggshells, chickss along with un nwanted eggshell ls, but criiminal charges no criminal charges were were ffiled. iiled.

L uk kerr, a fformer ormer st o afff writer for fo or M etro Luker, staff Metro Sant Santa ta Cruz and and occasional occasional contributor contributor to to Sant ta Cruz Weekly, Weeekly, eemailed mailed tthe he p hotos tto o Santa photos C Compassion omp passion Over Over Killing, Killingg, a D.C.-based D.C.-baseed anima al rights gr oup that, in 20 09, us sed animal group 2009, used a hidden hidd den ccamera amera to document document what it sa ayys ar aaree clear violations of st ate anim mal says state animal protection p rotection laws. laws. Immediately Immediately after after tthe he in nvest e tigation ended in February Feebruary 2009, 2009, investigation tthe he o organization rganization ggave ave the the vvideo ideo footage fo ootage to local local authorities. authorities.

Che Cheryl eryl L Leahy, eah hy, general ccounsel ounsel for fo or C ompassion O ver K illing, ssays ays L ukerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Compassion Over Killing, Lukerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s p hotos â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x153;corroborate corroborate tthe he eevidenceâ&#x20AC;? videnceâ&#x20AC;? the the photos or gan nization has that animal cruelt aw ws organization crueltyy la laws w ere b roken. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Th he p hotos sshow how h uge were broken. photos huge

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piles of chicksâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;thes se chicks ffit it i in yyour our o chicksâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;these h and. Iff yyou ou eestimate stimate h ow m any cchicks hicks hand. how many aare re being being ground ground up up with with eggshells, eggshells, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of animals. animals.â&#x20AC;?

Cal-Cruz Hatchery Hatchery r president president Brian Brian Cal-Cruz C ollins m aintains the the photos photos show show Collins maintains n othing iillegal. llegal. He He says says the the company company nothing p roperly euthanizes euthanizes all all birds birds before before properly rrunning unning them them tthrough hrough the the eggshell eggshell d isposal m achine aand nd h auling tthem hem tto o disposal machine hauling tthe he llandfill. andf ill. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing nothing in in there there that that hasn â&#x20AC;&#x2122;t b een euthani ized pr operlyy,â&#x20AC;? he sa ayys, hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been euthanized properly, says, aadding dding h eâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tried tried to to find f ind a ttallow allow p lant heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plant take the dead deead birds birds or a farmer that will take tthat hat ccan an use use them them and and the the eggshells eggshells as as ffertilizer eertilizer but hasn â&#x20AC;&#x2122;t had an hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t anyy luck.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s common common practice, pracctice, Collins Collins says, saays y, Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aand nd pe rffectly llegal. egal. C al-Cruz produces produces perfectly Cal-Cruz 3300,000 00,000 cchicks hicks a week. week. He He ssays ays tthe he h ealthy o nes aare re ttreated reated w ell w hile tthe he healthy ones well while ssickly ickly o injured birds birds are are humanely humanely orr injured killed and dump ed at a the landf f iill. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If I dumped landfill. p roduce 1100,000 00,000 cchicks hicks iin no ne d ay, IIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m â&#x20AC;&#x2122;m produce one day, n ot ggoing oing tto o get get 100,000 100 0,000 cchicks hicks tthat hat not aare re viable. viable. You You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get get 100 100 percent percent p erfeection in anima al pr oduction.â&#x20AC;? perfection animal production.

No N o Charges Charges For F or L Leahy eahy aand nd llocal occal aanimal nimal rrights ights w atchers, the photo os ar eminder watchers, photos aree a rreminder tthat hat C Cal-Cruz al-Cruz w was as n never ever ccharged harged w with ith protection vviolating iolating aanimal nimal p rotection llawsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;despite awsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;despite what man ny p eople would w cconsider onsider many people overwhelming o verwhelming evidence. evideence.

The video ffootage ootagee posted posted on Compassion Over Killingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website C ompassion O ver Ki K illingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s w ebsite sshows hows drowning bucket waste, a chick dr owning in n a buck et of w aste, birds machinery b irds ttrapped rapped iin nm achinery ((one one iiss rrun un dishwasher), mangled tthrough hrough a d ishwasher), m angled cchicks hicks buckets with missing limbs lying l in buck keets and live dumped on the ffloor, loor, liv ve hatchlings haatchlings dump ed disposal down the eggshell disp d osal machine and sprayed high-pressure spra ayed e with a high-pressure hose and images. other disturbing im mages. percent â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x153;We We are are 1100 00 pe rcent ssure ure tthat hat were tthere here w ere multiple multiple clear clear violations violations Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s law, of C aliffo orniaaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s animal animaal cruelty crueltty la aw,â&#x20AC;? says Leahy. sa ays y L eah hy.

The one T he stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aanimal nimal ccruelty ruelty llaw aw iiss o ne United States, of the most eexplicit xplicit in the U nited n St ates, Leahy Unlike states, L eah hy explains. explains. U nliike most st ates, California law doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have â&#x20AC;&#x153;commonâ&#x20AC;?

C aliffo ornia la aw do esn nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ha ave a â&#x20AC;&#x153;c ommonâ&#x20AC;? practices or â&#x20AC;&#x153;normalâ&#x20AC;? practic e eexemption es xxemption ffor or o This means aagricultural gricultural aanimals. nimals. Th his m eans tthat hat does not â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x153;following following iindustry ndustry sstandardsâ&#x20AC;? tandardsâ&#x20AC;? d oes n ot protect mistreats p rotect a ffarm arm ffrom rom lliability iability iiff iitt m istreats animals.. In other wor words, or neglects animals ds,

legally a b legally bird ird iin n a ccommercial ommercial ffacility acility iiss no dif ffeerent fr om a p et do ome. different from pet dogg in a ho home.

The T law laaw sa says ays y an anyone nyone who â&#x20AC;&#x153;tortures, â&#x20AC;&#x153;tortu ures, torments tor rments . . . cruelly b beats, eats, mutilat mutilates, tes, kills an any or cruelly c ny animal, or ccauses auses or procures p roc o ures aany ny aanimal nimal tto o be sso o . . . ccruelly ruelly beaten, killed, b eaaten, mutilated, or cruelly killed d,â&#x20AC;? or who needless w ho â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x153;subjects subjects aany ny aanimal nimal tto on eedless may ssufferingâ&#x20AC;? uffferingâ&#x20AC;? m ay be b charged charged with with a felony felony and d ffined iined up to $20,000. $20,000.

Collins says says the the video, video, which which was was shot shot Collins byy an posing b an investigator investigator po sing aass a hatchery hatchery percent orr ttaken eemployee, mployee, iiss â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x153;60 60 pe rcent sstaged taged o aken outt of ccontext. ontext.â&#x20AC;? He adds adds,, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shame on o mee ffor m or ggiving iving a gguy uy tthat hat aappeared ppeared tto o be homeless hom meless a job job..â&#x20AC;?

He says says tthe he vvideo ideo d id p rompt h im He did prompt him practices employees. to rreview eview practic es with his emplo oyeees. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x153;A A lot of those employees employeees have haave been beeen there Collins theere eight, 10, 12, 15 yyears, ears,â&#x20AC;? C ollinss says. saayys. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unfortunately, like anything â&#x20AC;&#x153;U nfo nf ortunatelyy, just lik ke with an nyt ything else, do..â&#x20AC;? else e, you you o get desensitized to what yyou o ou do Ultimately, U Ultimately y, the Sant Santaa Cruz distri district ict aattorneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ttorneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s o fff ice d id n ot p rosecute tthe he office did not prosecute hatchery. hat tchery. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The â&#x20AC;&#x153; district at attorneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tttorneeyyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of office ffiice hass decided will not bee d ecided tthat hat ccriminal riminal ccharges harges w ill n ot b ffiled, iled, aatt tthis his ttime, ime, b based ased o on n a rreview eview o off aall ll wee aare of,f,fâ&#x20AC;?

June tthe he eevidence vidence w re aaware ware o ,â&#x20AC;? rreads eads a JJu une 2,, 2 2 2010, 010, p press ress rrelease elease p posted osted o on n tthe he D DAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website. w ebsite. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x153;We We h have ave a h history istory o off aaggressively ggressively prosecuting p rosecuting aanimal nimal rrights ights ccases, ases, aand nd w wee ttake ak ke this issue vvery eery seriously seriously. y. W Wee sh share hare the publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s animals. pub blicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rrevulsion evulsion v at the abuse of an nimals.

However, our H owever, o ur jjob ob iiss tto o ccarefully arefully eensure nsure wee ccan build prove tthat hat w an b uild aand nd p rove a ccriminal riminal ccase asee against sp specific eciffiic individuals individuals..â&#x20AC;?

The district office did not The d Th istrict aattorneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ttorneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s o fff ice d id n ot phone on rreturn eturn p hone ccalls alls sseeking eeking ccomment omment o n tthe he d dump ump p photos, hotos, w which hich C Compassion ompassion Over O ver Ki Killing illing ssays ays iitt ssent ent tto o tthe he D DA. A. T The he ggroup roup ssays ays iitt w wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t asnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ggiven iven a rreason eason w why hy tthe he D DA Ad decided ecided n not ot tto op pursue ursue ccharges harges iin n thee ccase. ase. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our p position osition has b been een al all ll along: tthere here aare re cclearly learly ccrimes rimes oc occurring curring aatt hatchery, Leahy. hope tthis his h atcheryy,â&#x20AC;? ssays ays L eahy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x153;We We h ope p tthe he DAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office mind pursues D Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s o fff ice cchanges hanges iits ts m ind aand nd p ursues cha arges in this ccase. ase.â&#x20AC;? charges Following Following Compassion Compassion Over Over Ki Killingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s illingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investigation, in vestigation, estigation Sant Santaa Cruz Animal Services S ervices aalso lso ffound ound eevidence vidence o off w what hat iitt neglect cconsidered onsidered cruel cruel ttreatment reatment aand nd n eglect 88 ducklings.

Animal aand nd cconfiscated onf iscated 8 8d ucklings. A nimal Control C on ntrol Officer Off ic i er T Todd odd Stosuy Stosuy, y, who o hatchery, out off tthe iinvestigated nvestigated tthe he h atchery, iiss o ut o he office of ff iice until later in the month an and nd ccould ould nott b bee rreached eached ffor o or ccomment. omment. 0

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Surfing Turf The stretch of shoreline from the Hook at 41st Avenue to Natural Bridges State Park is as close to holy as it comes for many surfers, so why shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it receive the kind of recognition afforded the temples at Chichen Itza or Notre Dame Cathedral? The A/D3 B63 E/D3A 1=/:7B7=< thought it should, along with other legendary breaks, so it came up with the concept of World Surfing Reserves, sort of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of surfing.

The idea, first floated by Patagonia founder GD=< ¡:3B ;G >3=>:3 5= AC@47<5¸ 16=C7</@2, gained traction in Australia,

where there are now nine National Surf Reserves with plans for 16 more. Davenportbased Save the Waves seized the idea and has already begun instituting it on a global scale.

In October of this year the Coalition, along with the International Surfing Association and Stanford Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Center for Responsible Travel, bestowed the first World Surf Reserve

designation on Malibuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Surfrider Beach. Now Santa Cruz is in line to become the second. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re considering it very strongly for a World Surfing Reserve,â&#x20AC;? says 23/< :/B=C@3BB3, executive director of Save the Waves. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably not a matter of if but when at this point. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re only looking at doing two to three sites a year, so we have to really prioritize because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking at areas all over the world.â&#x20AC;? The next reserves will be chosen at Save the Wavesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; annual meeting in January. Santa Cruz will compete against surf breaks in Brazil, Peru and South Africa for the honor.

The designation carries no legal weight.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seen more as a point of local pride and a selling point for the local tourism industry.

The WSR manifesto, penned by 2@3E 9/;>7=<, former editor of Surfer, Windsurfer and Surfing magazines, lays it out: â&#x20AC;&#x153;In enshrining these surf spots the program will be enhancing and, in a sense, enshrining their surf-oriented communities, tooâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;affirming what has great value in that place. A WSR is a celebration of place.â&#x20AC;? The organization hopes that by raising awareness of the importance of surfing in an area, the designation will eventually lead to stronger protections for it.

So what does it takes to become a World Surf Reserve? Save the Waves sets out four criteria: (1) excellent, consistent waves in (2) the kind of environment that would warrant coastal protection with (3) a history and sustained presence of surf culture and (4) broad community support for the project.

According to 87; :7BB:3473:2, director for the Northern California chapter of the Surfersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Environmental Alliance, which nominated Santa Cruz for the honor, the city inarguably meets the first three stipulations. Now he just needs to marshal enough support from the community to round out the whole package.

To get it done, Littlefield worked with outgoing Mayor ;793 @=B97< to draft a resolution considered at the City Council meeting on Tuesday afternoon, just a few hours after press time and a little before high tide.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Resolutions usually take the form of having a number of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;whereasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; statements: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Whereas this is true and this is true, this is therefore resolved,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? explains Rotkin. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The whereas statements include a lot of information about how central surfing is to Santa Cruzâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to its cultural amenity, to its economy, to its historyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; and it goes on to resolve that we support the idea of making Santa Cruz into a World Surfing Reserve.â&#x20AC;? Rotkin expected the resolution to pass with the overwhelming support of the city council. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m almost positive it will pass seven to zero,â&#x20AC;? he said. This is one Santa Cruz wave that can handle that many people.

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As promised at the time of the decision, the pesticide application company has appealed the decision. Oral arguments took place in the Sixth District court of appeals in San Jose on Nov. 16. 23/< B 0/@<6/@2, an Indiana attorney whose services have been retained by Dow Chemical in several previous toxic tort cases, appeared on behalf of the appellant.

8=3: 4@/<9:7<, a lawyer with a practice in Monterey, represented Jacobs Farm. At presstime, neither was available for comment.

The three justices who heard the appeal have up to 90 days to deliver a decision, making it available on or before Feb. 14, 2011. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Tessa Stuart

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modern top-tier video game takes years to make, represents the work of hundreds and will cost tens of millions of dollars to developâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s before any money goes into marketing it. If that game fails, it could very well mean the end for the studio that produced it. This is not an environment that is well suited to wild experimentation. There is innovation. There is steady growth in sophistication. But very rarely is something genuinely new and risky produced.

The good news is there are other models for game development out there. And conveniently enough, three great examples reside within Santa Cruz city limits. One of them is a partnership. One is a small company. And one is the largest games research program in North America. ¨

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Meat Boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Makers Two people isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a lot when it comes to making video games. The technology doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exist for a team of two to create the next Halo or Call of Duty. But how about the next Super Mario Brothers? It turns out thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doable, if the talent and taste for hard work are there. Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes have the talent and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done the hard work, and both are on full display in Super Meat Boy. Meat Boy, like Mario, is trying to rescue his kidnapped love. Unlike Mario, Meat Boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love is a girl made out of Band-Aids, and sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been kidnapped by a suit-and-tie-wearing fetus in a jar.

The art is adorable (well, as adorable as it could be), and there is a genuine sweetness to the story, which does a lot to balance out all the saws, fire, death and hell.

This visual style is a good reflection of how the game plays. It is brutally, viciously difficult. (Running through a salt factory while dodging guided missiles is about as hard as it sounds.)

But so much thoughtful design has gone into managing the frustration level that it actually ends up feeling oddly welcoming.

Edmund McMillen has lived in Santa Cruz his entire life. He got his start drawing, writing and publishing his own comics, and though he later moved onto flash games for the web, via sites like Newgrounds.com, the spirit of indie comics informs his work. It shows in his art style, his dark sense of humor and how both are used to communicate real emotions. And of course it shows in his pride at being an independent creator.

When the time came to super-size his most popular flash game into something fit for the PC and Xbox Live Arcade, he turned to Tommy Refenes, a talented engineer based in North Carolina. The two worked on separate aspects of the game from opposites sides of the country before finally coming together in Santa Cruz to get everything finished.

When I visited Edmund McMillen in his Live Oak apartment, which also serves as his office, his wife was ¨ %

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1 =D 3 @ A B= @G j 5 / ; 3 0 =GA exchanging emails with a cat breeder in Southern California about whether or not it would cause permanent psychological trauma to have the kittens shipped to Santa Cruz. (The breeder insisted it would not.) Over the course of our conversation McMillen explained some of the ways he mitigated potential player frustration with his challenging game. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We keep the levels really, really small.

You can almost always see Band-Aid Girl at the end of the level, while youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re there,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You never feel super discouraged, because you know sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right there.â&#x20AC;? This was not the last time in our meeting that McMillen would, in discussing some practical design aspect of Super Meat Boy, wind up referring to the emotional core of the game.

I asked him if he thought thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have been a place for him in making video games if there wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t an indie scene. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh, no,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No one ever listened to me. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no way in hell that Super Meat Boy could ever be pitched to a company and get picked up.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d say for almost every single one of my games, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no way anybody would take that risk.â&#x20AC;?

Super Meat Boy takes a huge risk by trusting the player to keep trying after countless failures. It challenges players to try and achieve things that look impossible, to take their own big risks.

The pure joy of taking on big things, and keeping at it until success is achieved, is not to be underestimated.

Is Super Meat Boy a success? Judging from its reviews, the answer is yes.

Metacritic, a website that collects major reviews and calculates an average, summarizes the critical response to game with a score of 90 out of 100. And if that wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough to get peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention, PETA recently debuted a parody of the game, called Super Tofu Boy, which drew coverage from sites like Yahoo and AOL and brought a million hits to Team Meatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website, according to McMillen.

Before I left the Team Meat headquarters/living room, I played the game for a little while with helpful advice from the man who designed every level: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hesitate, you had it! The moment you hesitate is the moment youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll fall. Right into the saws. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all about confidence and committing to what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing, and then you have it.â&#x20AC;?

The Gaijin Guys Gaijin Games has an actual office, a workplace that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t double as anybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home. It was founded by Alex

Neuse, a self-described industry veteran who also serves as the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CEO. This year it increased its workforce by a thirdâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;making for a grand total of four.

Gaijin has a more traditional structure than Team Meat, and it has more traditional ambitions for growth. And unlike Team Meat, everyone from Gaijin has been a part of more traditional studios. The company is made up entirely of former employees of Santa Cruz Games, which made its mark with the Nintendo DS version of the eighth game in the Tomb Raider Series.

While playing a BIT.TRIP game, there is a sense that a lot is being communicated, but that it must be in an alien languageâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the language of the world that was born with the creation of the first video game.

This is not to say Gaijin is just a regular game company, because looking at what it produces, it clearly is not.

Gaijinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s games are extremely clever, visually stunning and most of all, deeply odd. They didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t strike out on their own to make the same kind of games everyone else makes.

At the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tiny one-room headquarters in the Sash Mill, Neuse explains how they came up with the idea for their first game, BIT.TRIP Beat: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just three guys, so we need to do something thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s simple as possible,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We all decided that making Pong ¨ '

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Well, not exactly Pong. The extremely clever aspect was that it was as if Pong mated with Guitar Hero. Instead of two bars bouncing a square at each other, it was one bar struggling to keep up with a barrage of squares, each representing a musical note that would only sound if it was hit. It is a very difficult game, but it comes with an automatic reward: music.

The visually stunning aspect was the old-school arcade-inspired color palette, lovely neon over a black backdrop, and the strange imagery floating in the background, including DNA and a brain rendered in a 3-D take on 8-bit style.

And the odd aspect would be what meaning could be read into that imagery and into wordless cut-scenes: that this was a game with a hero, a black monolith with arms and legs and a white slot representing eyes, and that the action of the game took place inside the heroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind.

BIT.TRIP Beat was just the first in a series of downloadable games for the Wii starring that monolith known as Commander Video. Each game was more ambitious than the last, each recalled old-school gaming forms but was imbued with music, and each had an ongoing storyline detailing the heroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spiritual journey, told without words through music, visuals and game-play.

There is a sense, playing a BIT.TRIP game, that a lot is being communicated but in an alien languageâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the language of the world that was born with the creation of the first video game and grew in detail in our arcades and in the Atari 2600 and never stopped evolving.

Often it is hard to say what has actually happened in the story, but nonetheless it is emotionally resonant in ways that are mysterious.

This year Gaijin has released an iPhone version of BEAT and numbers four and five of the BIT.TRIP series, their best games to date. In BIT.TRIP Runner, Commander Video is set on an unstoppable run through a beautifully detailed world where every obstacle creates music and every level is a song. He journeys from the darkness of space into the idealized sunshine of countryside, then into sunset and civilization and the ugliness of the constructed world.

In BIT.TRIP Fate, our hero is strung along an ever-changing line identified

by Gaijin Games as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the vibe.â&#x20AC;? He negotiates its curves to protect his heart from the projectiles of enemies, shooting down robots while in the bloodred-and-black background terrifying visions loom: office buildings under

construction, vast fields of cubicles, images of increasing conformity under the guise of progress.

There are no cubicles at Gaijin Gamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tiny office, by the way. When privacy is needed, they use curtains.

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Team Meat and Gaijin are showcases of innovation and free thinking. But in how many university programs can you see anything like that? How many university programs are exciting like an independent game developer is exciting?

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re talking about Team Meat and Gaijin?

I think theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re much bigger inspirations to shoot for than, like, the Call of Dutys and things.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much less exciting.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; JON GILL I meet with Jim Whitehead, founder and director of the UCSC Center for Games and Playable Media, and associate professor Noah Wardrip-Fruin.

Whiteheadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s areas of research have included systems to land aircraft as well as interactive storytelling. Wardrip-Fruin tells me about his interest in tabletop games and other systems for play, as well as his admiration for Virginia Woolf.

These are two of the faculty members tasked with the difficult and very interesting job of teaching students to create for a medium that is still in its infancy. Wardrip-Fruin compares it to teaching film in the era of the silent film ¨

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pioneer Eisenstein. Whitehead says one of the biggest impediments is how little formalized knowledge there is in the field. But one thing program founders did have in their favor from the programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beginning in 2006 was the number of students who wanted to be a part of it: currently 350 undergraduates and more than 20 graduate students are enrolled.

I meet with four undergrads in what is unquestionably the coolest university room I have ever been inside. Polished concrete floors, high ceilings and cool light fixtures set the stage for rows of computers with large monitors and a big flat-screen TV with a long red modernist couch in front of it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For the record, this couch: not bad to sleep on,â&#x20AC;? reports Dexter Lohnes, a senior, as we walk into the room.

After talking to them briefly about what brought them to UCSC, the conversation quickly turns to what brought them to game design in general.

They talk about the unique power of games, how they can make you feel actual guilt, how they can express emotions and ideas in ways no other medium can and how they can teach through the act of play. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One thing that makes games so great,â&#x20AC;? says Alex Mathew, â&#x20AC;&#x153;is the ability to have a player-driven narrative, where

not everyone sees the same thing, so you have different stories that are very unique to you as a player. They feel like something that belongs to you because you helped create them.â&#x20AC;?

So what are these students aiming to do with all their enthusiasm and intelligence once they graduate? Do they hope to work on the biggest and best games from the traditional studios, or do they want to make smaller games with more freedom for experimentation and personal expression, like the local independents are doing? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re talking about Team Meat and Gaijin?â&#x20AC;? asks Jon Gill. I nod. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re much bigger inspirations to shoot for than, like, the Call of Dutys and things. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much less exciting than the smaller teams of three, 10, 20 people who get really inspired about an idea, get some seed money, try to make it work and if it fails, it fails, and they can go on to the next thing.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;My goals have kind of shifted since I got here,â&#x20AC;? April Grow says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;because I knew when I first wanted to make games I wanted to work for a big company, Blizzard, because as long as I can remember Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve played Blizzard games. But now I see myself wanting to infiltrate industry and push those new visions forward from the inside ¨

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1=D3@ AB=@G and make a game that really breaks boundaries.â&#x20AC;?

Says Mathew, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Instead of closing off doors and saying what a game has to be, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking at what a game could be, and I want to explore that some more.â&#x20AC;?

Level 500 Next on my agenda is a series of meetings with graduate students and a showcase of their projects. I see a tool to assist players in designing their own levels. I see an experiment in motion capture from a grad with a background in theater and dance.

I see a game designed to gather data about what images people find aesthetically pleasingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;data that will be used to design a sort of automated cinematographer for other games.

A sociology major demonstrates what he calls a social puzzle drama, in which the setting is a high school, just before prom, and the puzzles include how to get the goth girl who is dating the shallow goth boy to start dating the computer nerd instead.

A couple of other grads tell me about SpyFeet, a game that on its surface is merely an alternate reality role-playing game for the iPhone designed to get young girls to exercise by exploring and learning about their local ecosystems.

Simple enough, right? OK, maybe not, but on a deeper level, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a good excuse to try out a bunch of neat ideasâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; such as being able to automatically turn any information into dialogue written in the voice of any character in the game.

And having tools that allow players to design and run adventures for their friends. The game is also meant to be able to gather local weather information from Google so it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell its young players to go walk around outside when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cold and raining.

All these ideas are helped along by traditional grad school values. Unlike in the world of blockbuster video games, the imperative is not to repeat success but to tackle interesting problems and stake out new territory. UCSCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is potentially the most important alternate model of game development.

UCSC is not the only school out there with a game design program, but it is the largest on the continent, and it seems to take both the science and art of the medium very seriously. The ideas generated and the values instilled here will make their way into not just academic projects but also indie games and blockbusters. This could be a very big deal indeed. It could be exactly what the world of gaming needs. 0

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2010Last-Minute

GiftGuide For holiday shoppers who are out of time, patience or ideas, we present our handy-dandy, cut-to-the-chase, Very Busy Personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Last-Minute Gift Guide, a collection of suggested gifts with broad appeal (with one or two possible exceptions) compiled by experienced gift recipients with reasoned opinions, fine instincts and excellent taste.

0G 1/B 8=6<A=< B@/17 6C97:: /<2 83AA71/ :G=<A 0c`ZSa_cS A]c\Rb`OQY Pairing the unmistakable voice and delivery of the legendary Cher with the enormous range and vocal power of pop star/emerging actor Christina Aguilera, the soundtrack to the musical feel-good film of the season is a finger-snapping tribute to the saucy, playful and Ăźberglamorous spirit of burlesque. Filled with jazzy dance numbers, soulful swingers, heartfelt ballads and electro-pop tidbits, this is surefire sing-along fodder for any aspiring diva. (CJ) 0]\\g 2]]\ 4O`[ 0]Rg 1O`S >`]RcQba !Âł %% From the small guest soaps in potent lavender, rose geranium or lemon verbena to the hard-to-find Uplands and Meehanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sandlewood colognes for men, Bonny Doon delivers high-quality fragrances in gentle, nonirritating formulas, all manufactured at an idyllic Santa Cruz Mountain farm. Soaps, lotions, body washes, hand salves, sachets, spritz watersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;these products are available across the county at many, many locations. Of similar quality (and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no mistake; Mary Jessen started making soap for Bonny Doon Farm in 1992) are the perfumed soaps of

2SS`VOdS\ 6S`P 4Z]eS` 4O`[. The White Flower actually smells like plumeria (no small trick) and the Spring Lilac is euphorically true to fragrance. For a list of fragrances and local retailers visit http://deerhavensoaps.com. (TH) 1]]Y¸a 7ZZcab`ObSR ;OUOhW\S AcPaQ`W^bW]\ !# aWf WaacSa Anyone even mildly interested in cooking will appreciate the high quality of the recipes contained in this quirky, ad-free bimonthly, since if you follow the admittedly complicated instructions, your food will be magnificent. The noncooks at the recipientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s address, meanwhile, will be awed by the scrupulous attention to detail and sheer moral authority of the advice issuing from Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Test Kitchen. These are starchy New England badasses beholden to no one; when they tell readers their favorite chef â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s knife cost $23, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because they tested 15 of them six ways till Sunday and are telling you the Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s truth. In a world of glossy food porn, this is a sturdy, reliable Good Book in entertaining and informative ¨ $ installments. (TH)

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Celebrate at Seascape!

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W I T H O U R C H R I S T M A S D AY B U F F E T & N E W Y E A R â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S E V E C E L E B R AT I O N

Gourmet Christmas Buffet at Sanderlings Restaurant December 25, 2â&#x20AC;&#x201C;7pm / $45.95 Adults / $19.95 Children 12 & under A traditional holiday buffet with a wide selection of favorites, including a seafood bar, roasted prime rib, bounty of fresh vegetables, a variety of delectable sides and salads, a festive dessert display, and more!

Call (831) 662-7120 to reserve your table.

New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve Party

December 31, 7pmâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;12:30am / $89 per person (tip included) Enjoy a lavish dinner and dessert buffet, followed by dancing with live music by Mike Hadley & the Groove, and a midnight champagne toast.

Doors open at 6:30pm, Dinner 7â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9pm, Dancing 8:30pmâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;12:30am.

Call (831) 662-7141 to make your reservation. Special room rates available.

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25/ >`]:W\S 6c``WQO\S ;OfW[c[ 4ZWUVb 2`WdS` & The third sport in the Santa Cruz triumvirate of surfing, mountain biking and disc golfing has local rootsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x153;Father of Disc Golf â&#x20AC;? Ed Headrick, who died in his La Selva Beach home in 2002, founded the Watsonville-based Disc Golf Association, which makes the Hurricane and a host of other colorful pieces of plastic that are fun to throw through trees. This, the newest DGA driver, is also the fastest; pick it up (or any other disc) at the white â&#x20AC;&#x153;deladiscâ&#x20AC;? van in the DeLaVeaga disc parking lot. (JL)

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Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get us wrongâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;hats and beanies of all kinds are great. But for cold-weather outdoor exercising (and especially for wearing with a bike helmet), headbandstyle earwarmers are the way to go, since they keep sensitive little earlobes and those heat-losing ear tops warm while allowing surplus heat to escape from the top of the noggin. Plus theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a dandy way to avoid hathead, the fashion scourge of the season.

In a variety of styles and materials at surf, snowboard, bike and other sporting good stores. (TH) 3`WQ 1ZO^b]\¸a 1`]aa`]ORa 5cWbO` 4SabWdOZ 2D2 0Zc `Og Showcasing the songs and styles of a wide variety of guitarists, from Buddy Guy,

B.B. King and Jeff Beck to John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, Bert Jansch and of course Eric Clapton, the 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival video is a four-hour-plus, no-miss gift for six-string-slingers of all makes. The two-disc set features onstage performances and collaborations, behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive interviews with some of the guitar worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s elite. (CJ) 4SObVS` 3O``W\Ua %# Natureinspired jewelry is oh-so-fashionable, and feather earrings appeal to her hippie-chic sensibilities. Jade has a wide array made with peacock, turquoise and rusty orange feathers, also adorned with blue crystals, made by local designer Sweet Eve. (JL) 5WTb 1S`bWTWQObSa g]c` QV]WQS Some people deride the gift certificate as evidence of an imagination gone missing, but we beg to differ. A gift certificate can be the perfect thing for a tough giftee, whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for clothes, books or a favorite coffeehouse. A close relation of the gift certificate, the concert or season ticket is another way to go. Consider this special the Santa Cruz Blues Festival is running through Christmas Eve: 25 percent off last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s price for general admissionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s $54, or $90 for the Gold Circle. Nothing to sing the blues about there. (TH)

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5`]eZS` ]T AO\bO 1`ch ;]c\bOW\ 0`SeW\U 0SS` Now hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a gift that keeps on giving: a jug of beer! Sudsloving cheapskates might shrink from throwing down $20 for a 64-ounce bottle of brew, but that includes the price of the reusable bottleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;part of the gift, you see.

When Friendo stops by SCMBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s twinkly little Westside tasting room and fills up self-same growler with fresh, cold, delicious beer for $11, your generosity will be gratefully remembered. (TH) >OcZ ;Q1O`b\Sg O\R EW\Ua ¡0O\R ]\ bVS @c\¸ # The first title in a massive reissue project of all of Paul McCartneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s post-Beatles albums, the Grammy-winning, chart-topping album Band on the Run has been given an Abbey Road remastering treatment and reintroduced to the legions of McCartney faithful. Overseen in its entirety by Paul himself, the album is available in a oneCD version, a two-CD/one DVD version packed with bonus tracks, and a deluxe, three CD/1 DVD set with mountains of (extra?) songs and a beautiful 120-page book. (CJ) >S`cdWO\ B`ORW\U 1][^O\g Ab`W^SR 1Ob 3O` 0SO\WS !" These hats, handmade in Peru from 100 percent virgin acrylic, have gained a cult following for their quirky designsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the black and gray striped kitty-ears beanie with attached scarf and earflaps is new this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and top-notch craftsmanship. This oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more subtle than some, namely the knit Bert and Ernie you can wear on your head. (JL)

¡A_cW``SZ ASSYa 1VW^[c\Y( / ;]RSab 0SabWO`g¸ Pg 2OdWR ASRO`Wa One of the seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s must-have books is a stocking-size compendium of fables as only Sedaris could tell them, with a cast of vain and petty yet oddly charming characters stumbling onto some of lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s harsh little lessons and generally coming out a little wiser. Titles like â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Vigilant Rabbit,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Judicious Brown Chickenâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hello Kitty,â&#x20AC;? about a cat and mouse at an AA meeting, promise hours of chortling and, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re guessing, more than a few sessions of reading aloud to someone special. (TH) AO\bO 1`ch 2]b 6]]RWS " $# Nothing says â&#x20AC;&#x153;old-school Christmasâ&#x20AC;? like a thick, cozy zippy hoodie with the classic red Santa Cruz dot. Instantly recognizable and eternally fashionable, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a no-lose proposition for Santas with a picky giftee to please. The pricier Sherpa variation comes with extra-plush fuzz and pile for those incomprehensibly cold mornings out at the Point, the Lane and every lovely local spot in between. (TH) A[O`be]]Z 1VSd`]\ 9\SS A]QYa Warm and stylish, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;gray heatherâ&#x20AC;? chevron socks alternate gray on gray and gray on yellow zig zags, while the â&#x20AC;&#x153;deep purpleâ&#x20AC;? alternates purple on purple with purple on orange. Both look cute poking out from the top of boots and complement different color sweater dresses on top, so get â&#x20AC;&#x2122;em both for the fashionista on your list. (JL) 0

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Cold, Hard Cover Noteworthy books of presence and heft 0G ;716/3: A 5/<B

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RESENTING someone with an e-reader satisfies the basic ritual impulse, but how do you give an e-book: a gift card for Amazon, an account at B&N, a login at Googleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new book-retailing project? These immaterial manifestations of books canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really be wrapped in showy paper and colorful ribbons. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come with the excitement of revelation. (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh, look!

You got me a $15 credit to download a bestseller of my choice if I ever remember to get around to it.â&#x20AC;?)

The holidays are still the time when only an old-fashioned solid chunk of the

bookmakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art will suffice. Now is the season to seek out beautiful coffee-table extravagances and weighty tomes worth both displaying and reading.

The publishing landmark of the season is Volume One of the authorized version of the /CB=07=5@/>6G =4 ;/@9 BE/7< (UC Press; 736 pages; $34.95). Near the end of his life, Twain hit upon an idiosyncratic approach to his memoirs: he would dictate them on the fly as times past flitted across his consciousness. Untethered to chronology, Twain indulged his taste in asides about news and politics while ¨ !#

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december 15-22, 2010 SANTACRUZ.COM

give the gift of grub

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:/AB ;7<CB3 574B 5C723 j 1=:2 6/@2 1=D3@ dredging up marvelous anecdotes from his seemingly inexhaustible memory banks. As he writes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Here we have diary and history combined; because as soon as I wander from the present textâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the thought of to-dayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that digression takes me far and wide over an uncharted sea of recollection.â&#x20AC;?

Twain famously warned that these remembrances should be left unpublished for a century in order to avoid scandal and embarrassment on the part of his subjects. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taken decades just to piece together the voluminous papers he left behind. The result is salty and imminently readable. His observation on the veneration of the rapacious railroad capitalist Jay Gould is as relevant in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second Gilded Age as it was in the first: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jay Gould was the mightiest disaster which has ever befallen this country. The people had desired money before his day, but he taught them to fall down and worship it.â&#x20AC;? Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be put off by the scholarly apparatus employedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;even the footnotes are engaging.

The success of Unstoppable and the ongoing debate about the route of highspeed rail down the spine of California reinforce the verity that some of the best gift books are aimed squarely at the rail fan. /@B 4=@ /::( 0@7B7A6 >=AB3@A 4=@ B@/<A>=@B (edited by Teri J. Edelstein; Yale Univ. Press; 178 pages; $50) looks at the particular fertile subset of the field of railroad advertising (which makes it both train book and art book).

Starting in 1908 with the British Underground and expanding in the 1920s to the national rail lines, the English created a vast number of gorgeous posters aimed at both informing and enticing ridership. One of the best examples is Harry Beckâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s justifiably famous schematic of the London underground system and its many stops: a perfect example of how to supply a surfeit of vital information with graphic simplicity. Often the posters beckoned travelers with images of desired destinations. One stunning piece by Margaret Calkin James depicts â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bluebell Timeâ&#x20AC;? in Kew Gardens with a nearly abstract pattern of azure petals marching across green and white triangles representing grassy fields.

A grittier side of railroading can be seen in @/7:@=/2 <=7@( B63 /;3@71/< E3AB /B B63 3<2 =4 B63 BE3<B73B6 13<BC@G by Linda

Grant Niemann with photographs by Joel Jensen (Indiana University Press; 152 pages; $39.95). Niemann was one of the first women hired to work as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;brakeman/switchman,â&#x20AC;? back in 1979,

starting with the Southern Pacific at the Watsonville Junction. She has followed the rails ever since, and her essays focus with insight and novelistic detail on the hard lives and hard times of rail workers.

Jensenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moody photographs (in both black-and-white and color) capture the loneliness of switching yards, freight barns, bars and motels in the back of nowhere.

One evocative shot shows a silhouetted fright train passing in the distance framed by the haphazard coils of a barbed-wire fence somewhere in the far reaches of Montana. The Orient Express itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not.

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Harasewych and Fabio Moretzsohn (University of Chicago Press; 656 pages; $55) can be justified as a study guide for a budding conchologist. But it is also a work of art full of sensual visual pleasures. Each page is devoted to a single shell, shown in full color at both actual size and enlarged, along with a habitat map and brief description.

The sheer variety of spirals, scallops, spots and striations dazzles the eye. The Melaniod Abyssal Snail is a drop-dead natural take on the Tower of Babel. The Bloodstained Dove Shell (the names are every bit as arresting as the shapes) is a sea-floor night crawler with an earshaped, deep sherbet-orange outer lip.

Galen Rowell photographed the natural world on a grand scale for decades. Eschewing the sometimesstark black-and-white of Ansel Adams, Rowell, who died in 2002, sought the essence of mountain ranges and high valleys in full color. 5/:3< @=E3::¸A A73@@/ <3D/2/ (Sierra Club Books; 112 pages; $29.95) gathers together the finest of his work in the Range of Light. An adventure climber as well as a photographer, Rowell is seen in a picture in the introduction clinging to a sheer defile above the Yosemite Fallsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; hanging on with one hand and holding his 35 mm camera with the other.

Some of Rowellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expansive views from famous vantages in Yosemite Valley hark back to the grandiose canvases of painters like Thomas Hill and Albert Bierstadt. At times, Rowellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s indulgence in f lorid lighting (such as the vermilion sky in Stormy Sunset Over Evolution Lake) go overboard, but he was also capable of subtler effects, as in the plays of weathered surfaces seen close-up in Boulder Trapped in Whitebark Pine Roots, which is worthy of Edward Weston. 0 DW\bOUS 5WTba ¨ !%

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december 15-22, 2010 SANTACRUZ.COM

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Vintage Gifts Savvy Santas know thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing cheesy about giving wine

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RIENDS donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let friends do without fine wine during the holidays. Here are a few of our favorite ideas for giftgiving oenophiles who are long on goodwill but short on time.

First think about the recipient. Does he or she live far away? Then perhaps a local premium wineâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a taste of our own terroirâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;would be apt. Is this person notoriously difficult to please? Consider a well-known brand that will allow bragging rights as well as a great pour.

Is this a jaded aficionado who has tasted everything under the sun? Then do some legwork and look beyond the obvious.

For diehard chardonnay drinkers, a touch of riesling might be a welcome change.

For utilitarian cabernet fans, something in the key of syrah or sangiovese might prove as effective as mistletoe. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Specialâ&#x20AC;? doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily mean pricey. Look for dessert wines that are both unexpected and beautifully packaged. No one doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enjoy a sweet complex bit of voluptuous liquid after dinner. Bonny Doon Vineyardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enchanting :3 D=: 23A /<53A is the ultimate honey-and-apricots New World â&#x20AC;&#x153;sauternes.â&#x20AC;? Golden-hued and kissed by the â&#x20AC;&#x153;noble rotâ&#x20AC;? that encourages profound depths of flavor from this white RhĂ´ne variety roussanne grape, the half bottle makes a superb gift for your finicky friends and lovers. Look for 2006 or ¨ !'

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Sjehf!xjoft!bsf!bmxbzt!b!hppe!cfu/ 2007 if you can find them. Beauregard Vineyardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s consummate ' :/B3 6/@D3AB @73A:7<5â&#x20AC;&#x201D;also packaged in the slender splitâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;will make magic with after-dinner walnuts and Stilton.

If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an Old World vintage you seek, and the recipient is one of your nearest and dearest, consider one of the hallowed names of Bordeauxâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Pomerolâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;in the form of a supple and generous wine from 16/B3/C :3 ;=C:7< ($95). Or impress

someone important with a rich, sweet, mellow B=9/8 from 27AH<=9= 6C<5/@G ($81). If Santa is feeling generous, he might even consider giving a bottle of the fabled ;=<B303::= 0=@23/CF 0:3<2 #â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a spectacular vintage priced in the $140 range. Pick up a crisp, dry riesling to help convert a reluctant chardophile, perhaps an Alsatian riesling from 2=;/7<3 @3;G 5@3AA3@ % for a mere $24. This exquisitely perfumed dry wine exudes flavor transparency unimpaired by oak. My personal favorite riesling is the 67@A16 $ from the Kamptal region of Austria ($50). Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s truly memorable.

Soif has a substantial range of rieslings, from affordable to up-market and from ultradry to lusciously sweet. Just consult with wine director John Locke or wine shop manager Luke Kamman.

For California wines that are sure to please, look for @7253, arguably the elder statesman of California wineries. For those who enjoy sampling the gifts of our own central California varietals, the delights of the new ' 07@7167<= ;/:D/A7/ 07/<1/ ;=<B3@3G 1=C<BG ($15) are as affordable as they are delicately piquant.

Available at all enlightened emporia, E7<2G =/9Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; quartet of 2007 Pinot Noirs epitomize the soft, Burgundian style of extraordinary and complex red wines, expressing the terroir of the southern end of our appellation ($30â&#x20AC;&#x201C; $55), while some of the top wines nearer the summit are made by H/G/<B3 (especially the syrah) and A/<B/ 1@CH ;=C<B/7<A D7<3G/@2A (look for the Branciforte and Vine Hill vineyards designations, $24-$48.)

From :/ 6=<2/ E7<3@G comes a disarming blend of sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon ($25). Elegant spinoffs from the much-praised Varner clan may be found under the A>@7<5 @7253 and 4=F5:=D3 labels. Among Santa Cruz regional vintages, 9/B6@G< 93<<32G wines make a good choice.

Consider the 2007 Lateral, 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon â&#x20AC;&#x153;Small Lotâ&#x20AC;? and the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc.

Other goodies: win the heart of a serious wine aficionado with the ultimate 16/B3/C :/5C7=:3 1=@9A1@3E, the Rolls Royce of bottle openers, made of hand-forged metal, luxurious carved horn and exotic woods.

In its own leather storage pouch it runs $170â&#x20AC;&#x201C;$185). And for a few dollars less (only $19) consider the more utilitarian version of the mighty Laguioleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;same glorious design, but less hand-crafting.

And yes, it comes in its very own little wooden box. Salut! 0 7\bS`\Sb @ORW] A[OQYR]e\ ¨ "

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Internet Radio Smackdown Low-cost home systems with big sound are here

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HILE streaming video, portable music players and music-enabled tablets and laptops seem to be getting all the love these days, the humble successors to table radios and alarm clocks have quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) taken up residence in homes. With prices for good entry-level units selling for $100 and change, plug-and-play WiFi radio provides value and simplicity that deserves a close look.

An Internet radio works off a homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s WiFi internet network and provides instant access to services like Pandora

as well as traditional radio stations that have been liberated from the bounds of geography. In seconds, a listener can hear a live traffic report from Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s M-5, get up to speed on the latest electronic club music from Berlin or kick back to Portuguese fados, Punjabi bhangra or you name it. And the musicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s free.

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a 99 cent app that turns an iPhone into a full-featured digital radio that can pipe sound to ear buds or a home audio system.

Developed in Southern California, it can be downloaded at the App Store.

Go to radioforiphone.com for more information.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Tivoli NetWorks system ($749) offers an amazing audio experience in a beautiful box, with a social network to tap the collective brain when selecting musical programming preferences. We also looked at the Sonoro element W, a design-award-winning German black box with cool yellow typography that sells for $499.

It looked and sounded great but was hard to set up and incorporated some dumb design mistakes, like a nonintuitive power switch (press the logo, dummkopf). If used as an alarm clock, which the digital clock readout on the front clearly suggests was its intended purpose, finding the off-switch without opening oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes becomes pretty much impossible.

A device that looks just as cool on a nightstand, has all the bells and whistles and sells for a third of the price: the Sanyo R227 WiFi Internet radio.

Our hands-down favorite was the Logitech Squeezebox Touch ($299), purchased from the Fremont companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s web store. Compact and no slouch in the eye candy department, it offered a rich feature set (digital picture frame for family photos, album cover art, ambient nature sound effects, Facebook hooks and a big type alarm clock readout).

This version of the Squeezebox has no speaker or amp, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like an iPod in that respect. First we plugged it into a Bose docking station, and it sounded great but that configuration didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t offer stereo.

Besides, a second box on a cramped nightstand just didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make sense. We came across a compact amplifier that sells for under $100 that fits into the same kind of wall boxes that electrical light switches are wired into. It even came with plate covers in four colors, to match different decors.

This option requires snaking some wires through the wall, but when we plugged the Squeezebox into the Nuvo, wired up to two Klipsch R-1650-C ceiling speakers ($139 each and which destroyed more expensive Speakercraft speakers in a head-to-head test), the result sounded like a built-in custom home theater system that would cost many thousands. This Internet-enabled system was assembled for less than $800 in hardware, and the only external component, the Squeezebox Touch, is about the size of a small paperback book.

Miniaturization and Internet sourcing has made old component systems obsolete. The landscape of music is limitless, the technologyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market-ready and the prices are now irresistible. 0

42 |

december 15-22, 2010 SANTACRUZ.COM

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A/<B/1@CH 1=; december 15-22, 2010 / 3

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The Good News Guys /2/; ;11C::=C56

Through seven decades the Blind Boys of Alabama have stuck close to their gospel roots 0G 1/B 8=6<A=<

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LEGENDARY GROUP in their own time, the Blind Boys of Alabama are a globetrotting gospel ensemble that has won numerous awards, from Grammys and lifetime achievement recognition to an Obie and induction into the Gospel Hall of Fame. But back in 1939 at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in Talladega, Ala., the idea of being career musicians was a notion that was just starting to simmer in the minds of a few young boys. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every blind child that wanted an education came to that school from all parts of the state,â&#x20AC;? says group leader and last active founding member Jimmy Carter, speaking from his home in Birmingham. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We started out singing in the mixed choir and we found out that three or four of us could really sing together. We decided to see if we could make a living singing music on the road.â&#x20AC;?

The powers that be at the school had a different idea. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They felt that it would interfere with our school activities,â&#x20AC;? says Carter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So when people wanted us to sing, we had to sneak off campus and back on.â&#x20AC;? (Getting to their shows, however, posed no problem for the ambitious youngsters, who made their way to and from their gigs on their own. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We knew every inch of

0CB <=E B63G A33 Jimmy Carter (center, with hands extended) is the only remaining original member of the Blind Boys of Alabama, who met at a segregated institute for the blind in the 1930s.

Talladega,â&#x20AC;? says Carter of their time sneaking out to perform. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need anyone to take us around.â&#x20AC;?)

The risk of punishment turned out to be well worth the reward, as the group was regularly invited to sing under the name the Hackerland Jubilee Singers for a growing circle of fans. The Blind Boys of Alabama moniker came about when a singing contest MC, wanting to hype up the competition between two blind groups, declared that it was the battle of the Blind Boys of Mississippi, an already established gospel group, against the Blind Boys of Alabama.

The name stuck.

The Blind Boys continued to perform and expand their geographic range, and in 1948 they recorded their first of many hit records, the single â&#x20AC;&#x153;I Can See Everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mother But Mine.â&#x20AC;? With a hit came more opportunities, and as the momentum of the Blind Boys grew, they took their show to churches and auditoriums around the country.

In the mid-1950s, when gospel acts like Sam Cooke and Ray Charles were being enticed to cross over from gospel into popular music, the Blind Boys stayed true to their roots. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were all brought up in a Christian environment, and we said that no

matter what, we werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to deviate from gospel,â&#x20AC;? says Carter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And as far as Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m concerned, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to be true to that until we retire.â&#x20AC;?

Carter explains that over the years the Blind Boys have had ample opportunity to move into the mainstream music world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When Sam Cooke crossed over, the Blind Boys were in the same studio at the same time,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They made Sam the offer and they made the Blind Boys the same offer. We declined.â&#x20AC;?

Carter makes a point of clarifying, however, that just because an artist takes a pop music route doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean ¨ ""

"" j / 3 december 15-22, 2010 A/<B/1@CH 1=; / 3

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he or she has left the church. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of people cross over, but that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean they left their roots,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And Sam never left the church.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We Want to Catch Fireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

The Santa C Cruz Waldorf d do School Thanks the Generous Sponsors of the Bohemian Nights Dinner & Auction All proceeds raised at this event help to support our signature educational programs.

Special Thanks to Lightfoot Industries & Stripe Design Group for providing catering & dĂŠcor for this sustainable, zero-waste event To learn more about us, visit us at www.SCWaldorf.org

Ironically, the Blind Boys have been widely embraced into the mainstream and have worked with a diverse roster of some of the biggest names in popular music, among them Tom Waits, Lou Reed, Bonnie Raitt, Peter Gabriel and Ben Harper, to name just a few.

One of the things that make the Blind Boys so popular with mainstream audiences is the fact that they are able to glean from pop music songs that fit their gospel message.

Over the years theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve pulled songs from just about every genre of music, always choosing material that suits their commitment to their roots. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No matter who we collaborated with, they had to have material that was in a gospel feel,â&#x20AC;? says Carter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t put a gospel feel to it, we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do it.â&#x20AC;?

The overall message that the Blind Boys hope audiences go away with is one of hope, faith and love. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I walk out on that stage, I tell the people, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;If we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t touched you in some kind of way, then we have failed,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? says Carter, explaining that they love when a crowd gets involved in what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing onstage. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to sing to a noisy crowd, because gospel is good news,â&#x20AC;? he says excitedly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to catch fire up there, and for the audience to catch fire too.â&#x20AC;?

Carter knows that the Blind Boys have the power to transform hearts and minds, and he makes a point of sending Santa Cruz an advance message: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tell the folks in Santa Cruz that the Blind Boys are on their way,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And when we leave, Santa Cruz will never be the same. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the truth.â&#x20AC;?

B63 0:7<2 0=GA =4 /:/0/;/ Saturday, 8pm Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz Tickets $25 general/$40 gold circle 831.423.8209 or www.riotheatre.com

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A/<B/1@CH 1=; december 15-22, 2010 AB/53 /@B 3D3<BA

:7AB G=C@ :=1/: 3D3<B 7< B63 1/:3<2/@ Email it to calendar@santacruz.com, fax it to 831.457.5828, or drop it by our office. Events need to be received a week prior to publication and placement cannot be guaranteed.

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B63 <CB1@/193@ Spanish chocolate, Arabian coffee, candy canes and ginger snaps make a holiday feast sans the calories, courtesy of Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Prima ballerinas (and SCBT alums) from the Houston Ballet and Seattleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pacific Northwest Ballet lead more than 80 local dancers to Tchaikovskyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classic score, performed by a live 55-piece orchestra. Friday, Dec. 17, 8pm and Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Sunday Dec. 18â&#x20AC;&#x201C;19, 1 and 4:30pm at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, 307 Church St., Santa Cruz. Tickets $15â&#x20AC;&#x201C;$44, 831.420.5260 or SCBT.org.

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A1@==53( B63 ;CA71/: Charles Dickensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; A Christmas Carol is a parable to penny-pinchers and holiday â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bah-Humbugâ&#x20AC;?-ers: if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t change your ways, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll end up miserable, alone and terrorized by ghosts on Christmas Eve. Cabrilloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual staging is the musical retelling of Scroogeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s redemption, complete with catchy tunes like â&#x20AC;&#x153;I Hate Christmas,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Ministerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Catâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank You Very Much.â&#x20AC;? Dec. 17â&#x20AC;&#x201C;30, 2 and 7:30pm at Cabrillo Crocker Theater, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos.

Tickets $16â&#x20AC;&#x201C;$34, 831.479.6154 or CabrilloStage.com.

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Sa nt a Cr u z C ou nt y

SYMPHONY John Larry Granger, Music Director

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, GIVE A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING...

GIVE THE GIFT OF MUSIC! JAN 29/30

BEETHOVEN TRIPLE C ONCERTO PACIFIC TRIO BOYCE SYMPHONY NO. 5 MOZART SYMPHONY NO. 39

MAR 26/27

GRAINGER IN A NUTSHELL LISZT PIANO C ONCERTO NOS. 1 & 2 ADAM NEIMAN, PIANO RIMSKY-KORSAKOV CAPRICCIO E SPAGNOL

APR/MAY 30/1

A/< 4@/<17A1= 5/G ;3<¸A 16=@CA The 250-voice choir, the oldest and largest of gay menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s choirs, will perform a repertoire that includes all the holiday classics, plus a show-stopping rendition of Whitney Houstonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Joy to the World.â&#x20AC;? Proceeds benefit the Fund for Extravagant Welcome, the Santa Cruz AIDS Project and the Diversity Center. Saturday, Dec. 18, 7pm at First Congregational Church, 900 High St., Santa Cruz. Tickets $20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;$30, SFGMC.org.

BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 9 â&#x20AC;&#x153;CHORALâ&#x20AC;?

THE CABRILLO SYMPHONIC CHORUS, AND GUEST SOLOISTS

Call 462-0553, ext. 10

A/BC@2/G &

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HE BALCONY overlooking the soaring Dart Gallery of the ;=<B3@3G ;CA3C; =4 /@B :/ ;7@/2/ (720 Via Mirada, Monterey) provides a long leaningon-the-railing view into the deep space. The facing wallâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;about 25 feet high and 50 wide with a giant, full-length windowâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;creates a cavernous room that evidently provides an exhausting challenge to curators, as does the low-ceilinged warren under the balcony opening into the expanse.

The current exhibition, 7< >@=13AA( 7<5@72 1/:/;3 (through Feb. 27), addresses these challenges with a drawing created directly on the entirety of the massive wall accompanied by a series of large framed drawings on the adjacent walls and smaller, intensely colorful oils in the low-ceilinged spaces. Each format represents a stage in the almost fanatical process of Calame, a rising star in the contemporary art world. From New York originally, the artist moved to Los Angeles to study at CalArts and stayed. Los Angeles and, later, other cities became the subject of her work, which might be considered a forensic investigation of the residue of human interaction upon the landscape: the oil spots on the sidewalk, the cracks and holes on the street, bumps of paint, layers of gum and old graffiti. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a process of seeing the sum as evidence of urban decay and disintegration.

The artist painstakingly traces the outlines of these layers upon transparent sheets of Mylar, kneeling on the sidewalks, asphalt roadways and industrial lots. In the studio, she integrates these tracings into a single Mylar layer using different colored pencils to achieve potentially vast drawings that could well be topographical maps. But the crisp cleanness of the Mylar, the even, elegant pencil lines in two or three radiant colors, is obviously a repository for more than geographical information.

Each color appears to have a direction, and within the empty mazes of lines there appears an occasional recognizable outline.

In fact the artist often integrates tracings from different locations to achieve a beautifully crafted composite that represents an impossible geographic confluence. In the paintingsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;here oil on aluminumâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the artist begins with tracings, then fills in the outlines with intense color in a limited but vibrant palette.

The paintings are too f latly radiant to refer overtly to 8/A>3@ 8=6<A, though giant stencil-style numbers are the most recognizable shapes within them. In fact, like Johns, Calarme represents both modernist and postmodernist preoccupations, moving from representation to exalt the final object as an abstraction. The wall drawing lacks enough intensity to wrest that surface from its architecture. But from that far balcony, though we know it is derived from only a tiny fragment, it does convey the urban essence: its fissures, byways, areas of concentration and dispersion, and so very much between.

Read more of The Exhibitionist at KUSP.org/exhibitionist.

(Maureen Davidson) B63 3F6707B7=<7AB 7A 4C<232 7< >/@B 0G / 5@/<B 4@=; B63 1C:BC@/: 1=C<17: =4 A/<B/ 1@CH 1=C<BG

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J a z z P re s e n te rs s i n ce 1 9 7 5

Give the gift of music!

Tickets & Jazztix make great gifts!

Available now at kuumbwajazz.org MONDAY, JANUARY 10 â&#x20AC;˘ 7 & 9 PM 2011 GRAMMY NOMINEE â&#x20AC;&#x153;BEST LATIN JAZZâ&#x20AC;?

PONCHO SANCHEZ LATIN JAZZ BAND

$25/Adv $28/Door, No Jazztix or Comps Sponsored by Radiology Medical Group

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14 â&#x20AC;˘ 7 & 9 PM

DAVID GRISMAN/ MARTIN TAYLOR DUO

$25/Adv $28/Door, No Jazztix or Comps MONDAY, JANUARY 17 â&#x20AC;˘ 7 PM

RUDDER

Progressive and fresh voice to hit the music scene since Medeski, Martin and Wood and The Bad Plus $20/Adv $23/Door 1/2 Price Night for Students.

Tickets at the door with valid I.D. MONDAY, JANUARY 24 â&#x20AC;˘ 7 & 9 PM

BOBBY HUTCHERSON QUARTET 7 pm:$25/Adv $28/Door 9 pm: $20/Adv $23/Door, No Jazztix or Comps Sponsored by Kyle Goldman

Tix to January concerts at Logos soon!

ADVANCE TICKETS: Logos Books & Records and Kuumbwajazz.org CafĂŠ Kuumbwa serves dinner Mondays & Thursdays beginning at 6pm, along with beer and wine. All ages welcome.

Tickets subject to service charge & 5% admission tax.

320-2 Cedar St â&#x20AC;˘ Sa nta C r u z 427-2227

kuumbwajazz.org

4C<9:=>327/ A=C:B/<<71/

Right there under Dance Party: Soulive at Moeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alley on Wednesday, Dec. 15.

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Channeling the playful, sultry approach of the pop vocalists of the 1940s and â&#x20AC;&#x2122;50s as easily as she plays twang, surf or spaghetti-Western instrumentals, Carolyn Sills is a multifaceted singer/songwriter/bassist with a penchant for pop. For her Christmas celebration, Sills has put together a set list of classic holiday tunes made famous by golden-era favorites including Peggy Lee, Elvis Presley, Burl Ives and more, including her own nod to Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Wonderful Life character George Bailey. The evening also pays tribute to the one and only Patsy Cline, offering fans of the country legend a rare opportunity to revisit her catalog live. Don Quixoteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s; $10; 7:30pm. (Cat Johnson)

An organ-driven trio that sinks its teeth into deep grooves and never lets go, Soulive demonstrates its membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; long-established soul and jazz bona fides. Drummer Alan Evans, Hammond B-3 player Neal Evans and guitarist Eric Krasno did their time in Moon Boot Lover, the Greyboy Allstars and Lettuce, and it shows in their impressive chops and mastery of rolling, insistent rhythms. Bringing just a hint of modern hip-hop influence to deep soul that owes a debt to the elastic jams of Stevie Wonder and Sly Stoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bands, Soulive is a trio that never lets their considerable skills get in the way of their irresistible grooves.

Moeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alley; $18 adv/$20 door; 9pm.

(Paul M. Davis)

6=@A3 43/B63@A Hailing from indie-folk haven Portland, Horse Feathers is one of the secret gems in the arsenal of alt-music-label Kill Rock Stars. Their stark and lovely string-centric songs are full of longing, loneliness, love and just a pinch of hope. Though the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lineup has morphed a few times, the overall feel of the project has remained introspective, beautiful and minimal, riding on the strength of Justin Ringleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heart-onsleeve songwriting and his barelyabove-a-whisper singing and guitar playing; perfect for quiet nights spent strolling through the inner landscape of hidden thoughts. Crepe Place; $10; 9pm. (CJ)

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A/<B/1@CH 1=; december 15-22, 2010 03/BA1/>3

1=<13@BA A=C@5@/AA Dec. 31 at Crepe Place E7::73 <3:A=< Jan. 7 at Catalyst

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:=A :=0=A Since the late â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s L.A.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s venerable Los Lobos have demonstrated considerable range and ability, remaining artistically principled without growing indulgent or esoteric. While they may have only briefly topped the charts, with a band like Los Lobos thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beside the point. Los Lobos recently released its first album of original material in four years, Tin Can Trust, a passionate meditation on the dire financial straits the country currently finds itself mired in. Like all of the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest work, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s honest, uncompromising and effortlessly engaging. Catalyst; $23 adv/$27 door; 9pm. (PMD)

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E7::73 9 A mĂŞlĂŠe of inf luences echo through Willie Kâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music: one song could recall Bob Marley, the next might have a f lamenco inf lection and the next could be as classically Hawaiian as Don Ho. Fortunately, the Hawaiian guitar virtuoso has the skill to pull all of them off. In his performance at Kuumbwa, Willie will be putting his signature spin on traditional Christmas tunes, drawing from his two holiday albums, this

yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Willie Wonderland and 2009â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Willie Kalikimaka, which won the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts Award for best Christmas album.

Kuumbwa; $25 adv/ $30 door; 6pm.

(Tessa Stuart)

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:3AB3@ 16/;03@A One of few Age of Aquarius bands to balance the soul of R&B, the energy of rock & roll, the roots-forward approach of the folk movement and the interdimensionality of the psychedelic music scene of the late 1960s, the Chambers Brothers burst into the spotlight with their hit song â&#x20AC;&#x153;Time Has Come Today.â&#x20AC;? After a string of successful albums, the group disbanded, but over the years lead vocalist Lester Chambers has been keeping its legacy alive, releasing numerous records and bringing his bluesy blend of gospel soul music to fans and admirers everywhere.

Don Quixoteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s; $15; 8pm. (CJ)

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0G@=< A>/13 17@1CA Wild eclecticism is a dicey game: it can result in transcendent and

E/7:3@A Jan. 19 at Moeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alley B3;>3AB Jan. 21 at Don Quixoteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s @=0 H=;073 Feb. 6 at Catalyst 8CAB7< B=E<3A 3/@:3 Feb. 23 at Rio Theatre /CAB7< :=C<53 :7H/@2A Mar. 26 at Kuumbwa /<7 274@/<1= Apr. 3 at Rio Theatre

unexpected feats of cross-genre daring or devolve into an inchoate jumble of half-finished ideas best left alone.

While Byron Space Circus donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite reach transcendence, they succeed in bringing together disparate threads of modern music better than one might imagine. With influences that range from Pink Floyd to the Meters, JeanLuc Ponty to Tool, the four-pieceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scope is as wide as it is bold. And though the band often threatens to dissolve into a marvelous wreck, it inevitably pulls it together, giving the proceedings an exhilarating quality that only comes from taking big risks.

Crepe Place; $8; 9pm. (PMD)

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@C< E7:2 Hot off the release of a new album, Chicano

rock icons Los Lobos play the Catalyst this Friday.

Surveying their retro album art, or catching sight of Big Sandy & his Fly-Rite boys emerging from a 1950 yellow-school-turned-tour bus, one could be forgiven for thinking the Anaheim-based band was recently released from a â&#x20AC;&#x2122;50s bomb shelter. In actually, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the last vestiges of Southern Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s late â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80s roots revival. And yet itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not their shtick but rather the supremely danceable California country swing they playâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a combination of steel guitar, upright bass and bandleader Big Sandyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smooth vocalsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that have kept these Rockabilly Hall-of-Famers around so long. Don Quixoteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s; $10; 1pm. (TS)

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Film.

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## j ##

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HE WEIGH WEIGHT HT of Black Sw Swanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s neon-purple n eon-purple romanticism romanticism ffalls alls on on Natalie Natalie Portmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Portmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tthin hin shoulders. shoulders. At At least least ssheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aesthetically aesthetically pleasing: pleasing: starved starved to to a skeleton sk eleton for fo or the role role of o a prima ballerina, h her er fine f ine Vulcan Vulcan eyebrows eyebrows and and peerless peerless cheekbones aree on vie view cheekb ones ar ew in eevery very shot.

Portman P ortman plays plaays y Nina, Nin na, a dancer dancer in New New York.

Y ork. Nina sleeps in a room o room surrounded surrounded byy a busload of stuffed b stufffed e bunnies. bunnies. Her mother,, Erica mother Erica (Barbara (Barbarra Hershey), Hershey), who tuccks her in at night, wakes w akes her up and tucks brings her a half-grapefruit; halff--grap pefruit; they they both both ccoo oo at the fruitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fruitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adorable pinkness. adorrable pinkness.

No th N o surprise that the he director director of (Vincent the ballet company, company, Thomas T (Viincent Cassel), C assel), is exasperated exasperated d by

by Ninaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ninaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overly overly fussy, fuss y, virginal virginal approach approaach to the dance. dance.

In our first f irst i sight of Thomas, T Thomas , looming looming behind b ehind the rows rows of seats seeats with arms ffolded olded o poses like like a and chest out, he poses sup erher h o. Later, Later, after affte ter the h f lamboyant l boyant lamb superhero. madness and high pitch pittch of Black Swan, Swan, may st art to ffeel eeel weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re w â&#x20AC;&#x2122;re w we atching a we may start watching rehearsal of the Goth ham Cit rehearsal Gotham Cityy Ballet.

On ttap ap is the old mor m tgage-lifftter, mortgage-lifter, Swan Lake Lake (â&#x20AC;&#x153;It â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s b een n done to death, Swan (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been Thomas know, but not like like this!â&#x20AC;? t I know, declares). With With the ch hallenge ccomes omes declares). challenge news. F irst, thee arrival of a ne w worse news.

First, new young danc er fr om S an Francisc o, young dancer from San Francisco, unis) Sec unis). u cond, ond the public Lily (Mila K Kunis).

Second, jettisoning of the fformer orm o mer diva, Beth jettisoning (Winona i Ryder), who o is cconsidered onsidered to o (Winona Ryder), too old b byy Thomas Thomas..

Trapp ed b irector and Trapped byy rival, di director mother, Nina N starts to crack. smothering mother, starts Mirrors go bad, and sh he hears vvoices. oices.

Mirrors she Th homasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; aadvice dvice wanders wanders out out of of bounds bounds Thomasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

E/::32 7< E / /: ::32 7< Nat N Natalie talie li P Portman orttman is i a bballerina allerina ll i ccoming oming i undone d i â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Black in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bl k Sw SSwan.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; an.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

(â&#x20AC;&#x153;Go home and touch yourself yourself â&#x20AC;?), an and nd tthe he treacherous treacherous Lily Lily begins begins to to llook ook fragrant fragra ant to the shocked shocked her heroine. oine.

Sel Self-mutilation lff--mutilation has b been een a par partt of o director dir ecttor Darren Darren Ar Aronofskyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s onofsk kyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; y s work ever ever sincee Pi sinc Pi.. He pr prepares epares us for fo or the torture tortur t e from fr om the b beginning, eginning, when Nina cracks craacks her to toes oes in the morning and the theyy sound s off of ff lik like ke gunshots (or lik likee the bar fight f igght scene sc enee wher wheree a muscle head cracks his h knuckles). knuc kles).

Ar Aronofsky o onofsk y sho shoots ots the br breaking eaking in n of new ne w slippers s slipp ers in ghastly close close-up: -up: the th he pretty pr etty satin thing disemboweled disemboweled off its insole, insole e, the sides st stabbed abbed with a sewing sewing w needle, needl le, the soles slashed with scisso scissors. ors.

Ninaa herself is a skin pick picker, er, brutally brutallly paring parin ng her nails nails,, or else theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re scissored scissored off of ff b byy Mother.

Mother.

It Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hershe Hersheyy who mak makes es this fant fantasyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tasyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mom-madness mom m-madness plausible plausible.. The b best est joke j e jok in Black Blaack Swan Swan is the sc scene ene of Ninaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ninaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s evereverringing ringin ng cell cell phone; its screen screen blares blaress the word word â&#x20AC;&#x153;MOMâ&#x20AC;? in capital capital block block letters. letters.

In the rrehearsal ehearsal scenes, scenes, the camera cameera spins sp s around a ound ar ou d with thee dancers, da cers danc e s, and a d

we h we hear ear ttheir heir sscuffing cuff ing fe feet et aand nd harsh harsh panting. p anting. IItâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aall ll h hard, ard r , anguish-ridden anguish-ridden work. When the music m ccommences, ommences, Black Swan Swan ffinally inally fe feels els llike ike a ggreat reat movie, m ovie, ssimply imply b because ecause tthe he T Tchaikovsky chaikovsky would mak makee us believe believe an anything. ything.

It takes takes a while to t get into the mood mood of cracked cracked Freudianism Freudian nism Ar Aronofsky onofsky tries to instill. Some of the t awed awed rreception eception of Black Sw Swan an seem seems ms to rref ef lect the need ffor or o a gr great eat mo movie vie th this his time of yyearâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;or earâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; or is it mindfulness off Michael P Powellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s owellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s broken-hearted br oken-hearted gho ghost, ost, grie grieving ving at those who ccouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t suc succumb cu umb to The Red Red e Sho Shoes? es?

Black Swan Swan is much h more more like like Brian De Palma, Palma, anywayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a anywayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a â&#x20AC;&#x201D; film f ilm of technical technical virtuosity, virtuosity, shock shock and an nd voyeurism, voyeurism, but without De Palmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Palmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sense of play plaay or wit.

Aronofsky Aronofsky takes takes this 1940ish plot about about a frigid woman wom man going nuts so seriously. seriouslyy. I realize realize that t the glut of superhero superhero movies movies have have treated ha treated similarly f limsy limsy subjects as opera, o era, but at least op those stories are are matters m ters of revenge mat revenge and urban fear. feear. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s harder harder d to get into the skin of a were-swan. were-swan n.

Portman P ortman couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be be mor moree stra aightfaced, or mor e, as a a straightfaced, moree plaintiv plaintive, wo woman oman in p peril; eril; o occasionally ccasionally she ccanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t anâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rreach eaach what she â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aiming at, but who w ccan sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an blame her?? Show me an actr actress bla ame her ess who w ccan an n mak wan n. makee a fac facee lik likee a dying sswan.

T most effective The efffectiv e e moments are arre thee lesscooked,, trademark Ar ono ofsk ky less-cooked, Aronofsky ones: Pi,, the one es: a rreprise eprise of a situation in Pi P nas sty eexperience xperience of w alking a ply ywood nasty walking plywood tunnel around sitee with tun nnel ar ound a cconstruction onstruction sit blin nd turns; the sense of a cit hatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to o blind cityy th thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too loud, too too lou ud, to o fast, or to o close; the eeyes yes of a stranger boring overlit, stra anger b oring into yyou ou on an o verlit, mostly emptyy subw subway mo ostly empt ay ccar. ar.

0:/19 AE/< 0 :/19 AE/ /< directed (R; 107 min.), dir ectteed by by Darren D arren Aronovsky Aronovsky and and starring starring Natalie Ryder, N Nat taalie Portman, Port o man, Winona Winona i Ryyderr, Vincent Vincent Cassel, Caassel, Barbara Barbara Hershey Herrssheey Kunis, opens and Mila K uniss, op ens Friday.

Friday.

56 |

december 15-22, 2010 SANTACRUZ.COM

Film.

F ililm.

j #%

A/<B/1@CH 1=; A /<B/1@CH 1=; = dec december ember 15-22, 15- 22, 2010 201 0 47:; 47:;

LLord ord of of thee Ring JoJo Whilden

Mark Wahlberg Waahlberg goes goes for fo or the gold gold in bo boxer oxer e biopic â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Thee Fighterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Fighterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 0G @716/@2 D=< 0CA/19

0G @716/ @ 2 D=< 0CA /19

P

RESTIGE-FILM sseason RESTIGE-FILM eason is is tthe he graveyard gra veyard of o the good, good, solid tthree-star hree-star movie. movie. That That makes makes Fighter, it tougher for fo or The F ightteer, with its title so simila similar Wrestler. ar to The Wr estler.

David David O. O. R Russellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ussellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aaccount ccount of of p pugilists ugilists Micky Dicky Eklund Micky Ward Ward and and D icky E klund iiss more more than than worthwhile, worthwhile, though. though. IItâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s juicy, with juicy, touchingly touchingly acted acted aand nd rich rich w ith atmosphere. atmosphere.

The story story takes takes place plaace in the 1990s, 1990s, in Kerouacâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Keerouac ouacâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s town off Lowell, Lowell, owell Mass.

Mass. As As always, location always y , serious lo cation work rreduces educes the need ffor o or a lot of eexplanatory xplanatory dialogue. dialogue. The Fighter Fightteer begins begins with a parade of sorts: sorts: followed fo ollow wed by by cameras, cameras, the two two boxers boxers go for fo orr a walk walk through through the their town, shaking shakiing hands and highfiving f iiving the passersby. passersby. One O disgruntled local local tosses a cup of water water at them from from his sec second-story ond-story window, wind dow, and the ffilm ilm slips into a groove groove off believability. believability.

Road-crew Ro oad- crew laborer laborerr and striving boxer boxer Micky Micky Ward Ward (Mark (Mark Wahlberg) Wahlberg) has has been been training all his life liffe with his elder half-sibling, half-sibling, Dicky Dicky Eklund Eklund (Christian (Christian Bale). We We see them together t gether on a to couch, couch, talking talking to to the the camera camera in in what what seems seems to to be be a documentary documentary about ab out the the two two brothersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; brothersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; comeback. comeback. Dickyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dickyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great grreat claim to fame was was knocking kn nocking out Sugar Ray Ray Leonard Leonard (the smooth sm mooth Leonard Leonard plays plays himself himself here), here), and and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ready ready to to remind remind any any listener of that bout. b out.

Ward Ward is in a career careerr lull as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;stepping-stoneâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;stepping-stoneâ&#x20AC;? fighter, f ighter, used used as as a boxer boxer for fo or other boxers boxeers to leapfrog leapfrog over. over. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s divorced divorced with with a kid; kid; his his ex-wife, ex-wiffe, still hostile, hostile, has h a restraining restraining order him.

One Micky order aagainst gainst h im. O ne eevening, vening, M icky

@7<5 1G1:3 @ 7<5 1G1:3 Christian Bale (left) (lefftt) schools sccho ols Mark Wahlberg Waahlb errg in the bittersweet bitter ersweet science. science.

meetts a wear meets wearyy bar bartender, tender, Charlenee (the creamy-skinned cr eam my-skinned Am Amyy A Adams, dams, lo looking okiing with pounds on lluscious uscious w ith a ffew ew eextra xtra p ounds o n her). She is a U University niversity of Rho Rhode de Island I dropout d ropout w with ith ssome ome aaspirations spirations ffor or a better b etteer lif life. fe.

C Charlene harlene iiss ttough ough eenough nough tto o ffight ight off Wardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overprotective o ff W ardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s o verprotective ffamily: amily: a gaggl le of se ven high-hair ed, sharp -n nailed gaggle seven high-haired, sharp-nailed ssisters. isters. T hey llook ook llike ike tthey hey ccould ould ttake ake They down n a hea avyweight v or ttwo wo thems elves, heavyweight themselves, and ther ttheree alw always ayys seems to b bee anoth another her scene. this sisterr in eevery very sc ene. The mom of th his scary sc ary br brood ood is the chainchain-smoking smoking Alic A Alicee ((Melissa Melissa L Leo eo iin n aanother nother ffine, ine, ssandpapery andpapery performance); p erformance); aall ll p put ut p pressure ressure o on nM Micky icky tto ok eep D icky aass h is ttrainer. rainer. O ne llittle ittle keep Dicky his One p roblem w ith tthe he eelder lder h alf-brotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s problem with half-brotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work k: heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a hop eless crack addict. addict work: hopeless Thee F Fighter has Th ightter e h as aan n eexcellent xcellent ssubject ubject ffor or a w orking- class ffilm: ilm: tthe he p roblem working-class problem o omeone rrising ising w hile aanchored nchored b ya off ssomeone while by cclose lose ffamilyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;anchored amilyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;anchored iin n tthe he ssense ense o off tthe he w ord tthat hat m eans â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x153;something something tthat hat word means dragss yyou ou down.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;?

W ahlberg, b orn 334 4m iles aaway way ffrom rro om Wahlberg, born miles

Lowell aand Lowell nd aalso lso o one ne o off a ffamily amily o off nine,, ccouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t nine ouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ha have ave b been een b better etter cast. cast.

Bale has to jump around a ound a bit more; ar more; this is not his milieu milieu or his accent, accent, and his acting gets a bit biit mor moree f lamb lamboyant. oyant.

Nott to No to say say that that B Baleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s D Dicky icky iisnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t snâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t iinvigorating nvigorating tto ow watch atch iin n sspots. pots. B But ut people sayy a train wr wreck when p eople sa eck is ffascinating, ascinating, tthey hey usually usually m ean they they mean aalso lso llike ike tto ow atch tthe he p ar t rright ight b efore watch part before the train ccollides. ollides. Bale B smoking, is a smoking, ruined lo locomotive comotive from from the get-go. get-go.

Russell Russell handles handles Dickyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dickyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s turning turning point, p oint, h his is re recovery, cover y, w with ith aan n interestingly inter estingly antique antiq que metho method: d: double double-eexposure-like xposure-like iimages mages o off h his is b bout out w with ith Le onard f llicker icker aabove b ove h is b ed aass h Leonard his bed hee ssweats weats o ut tthe he ccrack rack ccocaine. o caine. T here are are out There only so man ays to sho ot a boxing boxing manyy w ways shoot movie, boxing m ovie, llet et aalone lone a b oxing sscene. cene. Russell Russell aavoids voids most of thee R aaging Bull isms Raging Bullisms b ilming aass sstraightforwardly traightforwardly aass a byy ffilming d o cumentary ccameraman. ameraman. R ussell documentary Russell shows us the scien nce of prize fighting, f iighting, science dodging dancing more tthe he d o dging aand nd d ancing m ore than than the slamming fists. f istss.

IInevitably, nevitably, tthere here is is tthat hat visual visual neccessity: the slo-mo, slo -mo, sweat-splashing sweat-splasshing necessity: punch punch to to the the jaw, jaw, a shot shot just just derided derided in in Jackass usual Jac ackass 3D as as â&#x20AC;&#x153;The â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Rocky.â&#x20AC;?

Ro ckyy.â&#x20AC;? As u sual in in a boxerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s b oxerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biopic, biopic, the the height height of of the the armâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s armâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arc, arcc, the the narrowness narrowness of of the the victories victories and and even even the the size size of of the the opponents opp onents are are exaggerated. exaggerated. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s already already notorious notorious on on the that he Internet I h Mike Mike Mungin M i had h d fewer fewer than than 10 10 pounds p ounds on on Ward, Ward, not not 20 20 as it i says says here. here.

T pleasures The pleasures of The Fighter Fightter e ccome ome in in tthe he well-done well- done performances per formances and and the the well-filled-in backgrounds w ell-f illed-in b ackgrrounds more more than than iin n tthe he sstructure tructure itself. itself. IIff tthe he ffacts acts aare re sslightly lightly ffast ast aand nd lloose, oose, so, so, blessedly, blessedly, iiss Russellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s direction.

R u ussellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; s dir ection.

B63 4756B3@ B 63 4756B3@ (R; 114 min.), directed directteed bbyy David O. O. Russell R ussell and starring sttaarring Mark Wahlberg, Wahl a lberrg, Bale and Amy Adams, C Christian Adamss, oopens op ens Friday.

Friday.

58 |

december 15-22, 2010 SANTACRUZ.COM

SANTACRUZ.COM

C

Musical Arts of Santa Cruz presents

The Santa Cruz Chorale

& Friends

Christmas with the Chorale

december 15-22, 2010

| 59

$ j 47:; december 15-22, 2010 A/<B/1@CH 1=;

Film Capsules <3E 1/>A

Yahoos. (Opens Fri at Green Valley.)

0:/19 AE/< (R; 103 min.)

See review, page 55. (Opens Fri at the Nick.)

6=E 2= G=C 9<=E

B63 4756B3@ (R; 114 min.)

See review, page 57. (Opens Fri at Riverfront and Green Valley.)

5C::7D3@¸A B@/D3:A

(PG; 85 min.) Jack Black plays a writer on assignment in the Bermuda Triangle in this modern remake of the Jonathan Swift story about a shipwrecked sailor. In the book, Gulliver washes ashore in series of strange lands, each more bizarre than the last.

First he find himself in the land of the tiny Lilliputians, then of the gigantic Brobdingnags and finally among in a place where wise horses, called Houyhnhnms, rule over the humanlike Wild

Parents series. Greg, now the father of twin 5-year-olds and on the verge of a midlife crisis, struggles to remain in â&#x20AC;&#x153;the circle of trust.â&#x20AC;? (Opens Fri at Aptos, Riverfront, Scotts Valley and Fri at Green Valley.)

(PG-13; 114 min.) The son of an embattled corporate giant (Paul Rudd) and a professional baseball player (Owen Wilson) both vie for the affection of a professional softball player (Reese Witherspoon) recently cut from the national team and struggling to find new purpose for her life in this fluffy romcom. (Opens Fri at Aptos, Cinema 9 and Green Valley.)

;7@/1:3 =< !"B6 AB@33B (1947) When the

man hired to play Santa in the Thanksgiving Day Parade is drunk, a bystander named Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) steps in to play the role and ultimately performs so well that he is asked to play Santa at Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 34th Street store. Things go awry when Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event coordinator Doris Walker (Maureen Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hara) begins to suspect that Kringle fancies himself the real Santa Claus. A dramatic court battle ensues. (Plays TueFri 11am at Aptos.)

:7BB:3 4=193@A (PG-13; 98

min.) Ben Stiller (male nurse Greg Focker) and Robert De Niro (Jack, a retired CIA agent and Fockerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father-inlaw) are back and still at each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s throats in the third installment of the Meet the

SHOWTIMES

Movie reviews by Traci Hukill, Kate Jacobson, Tessa Stuart, Mel Valentin, Richard von Busack and Shiva Zahirfar

B63 >67:/23:>67/ AB=@G @/@3 3F>=@BA( / 16@7AB;/A B/:3 (R; (1940) The Henry Luceâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;like

publisher of Spy magazine forces an idealistic novelistturned-reporter (Jimmy Stewart) to cover a highsociety wedding. His entry is vouchsafed by another Spy employeeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the brideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s selfamused, dissolute ex-husband (Cary Grant). Director George Cukorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s film is a peak of cinematic elegance during the Hollywood studio age.

While essentially it is a slice of cake, it is also the essential film about Hollywoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conflicting attitudes toward class structure in America, one in which figures of leisure confront the discontent of people who had to fight their way up from the bottom.

(Plays Sat-Mon noon at Aptos.)

(RvB)

84 min.) Reindeer are slaughtered and children of a nearby town begin to go missing after a drilling operation unearths a mysterious horned creature in this dark Christmas film, based on a Scandinavian myth. (Plays Fri-Sat midnight at Del Mar.) B@=< :35/1G (PG; 127 min.) In this highly anticipated remake of the 1982 cult sci-fi flick, a wonder programmer-turned-hacker Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) must beat a series of computer games from the inside.

Featuring a soundtrack composed by legendary electronic duo Daft Punk.

(Opens Fri at 41st Ave, Cinema 9, Scotts Valley and Green Valley)

Showtimes are for Wednesday, Dec. 15, through Wednesday, Dec. 22, unless otherwise indicated. Programs and showtimes are subject to change without notice.

/>B=A 17<3;/A

122 Rancho Del Mar Center, Aptos 831.688.6541 www.thenick.com 6]e 2] G]c 9\]e â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Fri) 11:40; 2; 4:30; 7; 9:30. :]dS O\R =bVS` 2`cUa â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 2:45; 5; 7:20; 9:35.

4OW` 5O[S â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 2:40; 450; 7:10; 9:20 Fri-Tue 2:10; 7:10.

BVS 5W`Z EV] 9WQYSR bVS 6]`\Sb¸a <Sab â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Fri-Tue 4:20; 9:15.

BVS >VWZORSZ^VWO Ab]`g â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Sat-Mon noon. :WbbZS 4]QYS`a â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Wed 12/22) 12:40; 2:50; 5; 7:10; 9:20. ;W`OQZS ]\ !"bV Ab`SSb â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Plays Tue-Fri 11am.

B`]\ :SUOQg â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Fri) 12:45; 3:40; 6:40; 9:35.

G]UW 0SO` â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Fri) 12:10; 2:25; 4:40; 6:50; 9.

1V`]\WQZSa ]T <O`\WO( D]gOUS ]T bVS 2Oe\ B`SORS` â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Daily 1; 3:45; 6:30; 9:10.

1V`]\WQZSa ]T <O`\WO( D]gOUS ]T bVS 2Oe\ B`SORS` !2 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 1:35;

4:15; 7; 9:45 Fri-Wed 11:10; 1:45; 4:20; 7; 9:45.

2cS 2ObS â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 2:25; 4:45; 7:10; 9:35.

6O``g >]bbS` O\R bVS 2SObVZg 6OZZ]ea >O`b â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 1:15; 3:10; 4:30; 6:30;

7:45; 9:45; Fri-Wed 1:25; 4:45; 8.

1475 41st Ave., Capitola 831.479.3504 www.cineluxtheatres.com

:]dS O\R =bVS` 2`cUa â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 2:15; 5; 7:35; 10:10; Fri-Wed 11:30; 2:15; 5; 7:45; 10:15. ;SUO[W\R !2 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 11:20; 1:45; 4:05; 6:50; 9:15.

BVS B]c`Wab â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 2:10; 4:40; 7:20; 9:55 plus Fri-Sun 11:45am.

BVS EO``W]`¸a EOg â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 2:35; 5:05; 7:30; 10:05.

B`cS 5`Wb â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Wed 12/22) Call for showtimes.

B`]\ :SUOQg â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Thu midnight) 11; 1:45; 4:40; 7:30; 10:15.

BVS 1V`]\WQZSa ]T <O`\WO( D]gOUS ]T bVS 2Oe\ B`SORS` â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 11:10;

A1=BBA D/::3G 17<3;/

1:45; 4:30; 7:15; 9:55; Fri-Wed 11:20; 2; 4:30; 7:15; 9:55.

6O``g >]bbS` O\R bVS 2SObVZg 6OZZ]ea >O`b â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 12:30; 3:45; 7; 10:10. ;SUO[W\R !2 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 11:15; 1:30; 4:10; 6:30; 8:45.

BO\UZSR â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 11:30; 2; 4:20; 6:45; 9:10; Fri-Wed 11:10; 1:30; 4; 6:30; 9.

B`cS 5`Wb â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Wed 12/22) 11:10; 1:40; 4:15; 7; 9:40.

226 Mt. Hermon Rd., Scotts Valley 831.438.3260 www.cineluxtheatres.com B`]\ :SUOQg â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Thu midnight) 11; 1:45; 4:30; 7:20; 10:10.

G]UW 0SO` !2 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Friday) 11:10; 1:10; 3:10; 5:10; 7:10; 9:15.

0c`ZSa_cS â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 2:10; 4:45; 7:20; 9:50.

BVS 1V`]\WQZSa ]T <O`\WO( D]gOUS ]T bVS 2Oe\ B`SORS` â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 1:45;

23: ;/@

3:45; 7:10; 4:30; 6:30; 9:10; 9:45; Fri-Wed 11; 1:30; 4:10; 5:20; 7; 7:45; 9:40; 10:15 (No Wed 12/22 5:20; 7:45; 10:15).

6O``g >]bbS` O\R bVS 2SObVZg 6OZZ]ea >O`b â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 3:15; 7; 10; Fri-Tue 11:20; 2:20.

BO\UZSR â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 2; 4:20; 6:45; 9; Fri-Tue 11:30; 2; 4:20; 6:45; 9.

BVS B]c`Wab â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 2:20; 4:55; 7:30; 9:55; Fri-Wed 11:45; 2:10; 4:45; 7:30; 10. :WbbZS 4]QYS`a (Opens Wed 12/22) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 11:30; 1:55; 4:20; 6:45; 9:10.

B`cS 5`Wb (Opens Wed 12/22) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 11:20; 2; 4:40; 7:10; 9:45.

" AB /D3<C3 17<3;/

1124 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz 831.426.7500 www.thenick.com 4OW` 5O[S â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Fri 2:15; 4:45; 7:15; 9:30 Fri-Wed 2:15; 7:10.

BO\UZSR â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 1:15; 3:45; 6:15; 8:30; Fri-Wed 1:45; 4; 6:15; 8:30 plus Sat-Sun 11:30am.

BO\UZSR !2 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 2; 4:30; 7; 9:10; Fri-Wed 2:30; 4:45; 7; 9:10 plus Sat-Sun 12:15pm. @O`S 3f^]`ba( / 1V`Wab[Oa BOZS â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Fri-Sat midnight.

B]g Ab]`g !2 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Sat 10am.

<7193:=23=<

Lincoln and Cedar streets, Santa Cruz 831.426.7500 www.thenick.com 0ZOQY AeO\ â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Fri) 12:40; 2; 3; 4:30; 7; 7:45; 9:30; 10 plus Fri-Sun 11:30am. % 6]c`a â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 2:40; 4:50; 7; 9:10; Fri-Wed 12:30; 2:40; 4:50; 7:10; 9:20.

BVS <Sfb BV`SS 2Oga â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 8:50.

BVS 5W`Z EV] 9WQYSR bVS 6]`\Sb¸a <Sab â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 3:10; 6.

BO[O`O 2`SeS â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 2:10; 4:30; 6:50; 9:05 Fri-Wed 2:20; 6:50 plus Fri-Sun noon.

BW\g 4c`\Wbc`S â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 2:50; 5; 7:10; 9:20 Fri-Wed 4:40; 9:10.

@7D3@4@=<B AB/27C; BE7<

155 S. River St, Santa Cruz 800.326.3264 x1701 www.regmovies.com BVS 4WUVbS` â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Fri) 1; 4; 7; 9:40.

0c`ZSa_cS â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 3:45; 7; 9:40; Fri-Wed 12:45; 3:45; 6:30; 9:10.

C\ab]^^OPZS â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Fri-Wed 4; 6:45; 9:05 plus Sat-Sun 1pm. :WbbZS 4]QYS`a â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Tue midnight).

A/<B/ 1@CH 17<3;/ '

1405 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz 800.326.3264 x1700 www.regmovies.com 6]e 2] G]c 9\]e â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Fri) 1:15; 4:10; 7:10; 10.

B`]\ :SUOQg !2 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Fri) 10:45; 1:35; 4:30; 7:30; 10:25

5@33< D/::3G 17<3;/ &

1125 S. Green Valley Rd, Watsonville 831.761.8200 www.greenvalleycinema.com BVS 4WUVbS` â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Fri) 1:30; 4:15; 7:05; 9:30 plus Sat-Sun 11:05am.

5cZZWdS`¸a B`OdSZa â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Fri) 1:30; 4:30; 7; 9:25 plus Sat-Sun 11am.

6]e 2] G]c 9\]e â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Fri) 1:25; 4:20; 7:05; 9:25 plus Sat-Sun 11am. :WbbZS 4]QYS`a â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Fri) 1:05; 3:10; 5:15; 7:25; 9:30 plus Sat-Sun 11am.

B`]\ :SUOQg !2 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Fri) 1:30; 4:20; 7; 9:30 plus Sat-Sun 11am.

B`cS 5`Wb â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Fri) 1:25; 4:30; 7; 9:25 plus Sat-Sun 11:05am.

G]UW 0SO` â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (Opens Fri) 1:15; 3:15; 5:15; 7:15; 9:15 plus Sat-Sun 11:15am.

0c`ZSa_cS â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 1:30; 4:15; 7:05; 9:30; Fri-Wed 1:30; 4:15 plus Sat-Sun 11:05am.

BVS 1V`]\WQZSa ]T <O`\WO( D]gOUS ]T bVS 2Oe\ B`SORS` â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Daily 1:30; 4:20;

7; 9:15 plus Sat-Sun 11:10am.

4OabS` â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 1:05; 3:15; 7:30.

6O``g >]bbS` O\R bVS 2SObVZg 6OZZ]ea >O`b â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 1; 3:50; 6:50; 9:35;

Fri-Wed 6:50; 9:35. :]dS O\R =bVS` 2`cUa â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 1:30; 4:15; 7:05; 9:30. ;SUO[W\R â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 1:20; 3:20; 5:20; 7:20; 9:20.

BO\UZSR â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 1:30; 4:30; 7; 9:15 plus Sat-Sun 11:10am (Wed-Thu 3D; Fri-Wed 2D).

BVS B]c`Wab â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Daily 1:30; 4:25; 7:00; 9:30 plus Sat-Sun 11:05am.

C\ab]^^OPZS â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 1:05; 3:15; 5:20; 7:30; 9:35.

BVS EO``W]`¸a EOg â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wed-Thu 1:05; 3:10; 5:15; 7:2

j $

A/<B/1@CH 1=; december 15-22, 2010 47:;

B@C3 5@7B (PG-13; 128 min.) A young girl convinces a grizzled U.S. Marshal (Jeff Bridges) to help avenge her fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s murder in this remake of the old John Wayne Western, directed by the Coen Brothers. Also starring Matt Damon and Josh Brolin. (Opens Fri at Green Valley, Wed 12/22 at 41st Ave, Scotts Valley and Cinema 9.)

B=G AB=@G !2 (G; 108 min.) With Andy off to college, Woody, Buzz and the rest of the toys are dumped at a day-care center where the little monsters in residence are free to torment them. With the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack and Don Rickles, among many more. (Plays Sat 10am at Del Mar.)

G=57 03/@ (PG; 80 min.) Dan Aykroyd voices Yogi and Justin Timberlake voices Boo Boo in this animated film based on the longrunning 1960s HannaBarbera cartoon series about bears who steal â&#x20AC;&#x153;pic-a-nic basketsâ&#x20AC;? from campers in Jellystone Park. Also starring Tom Cavanagh as Ranger Smith. (Opens Fri at Cinema 9, Scotts Valley and Green Valley.)

half-shadows or twilight.

(Read a full-length review at www.metroactive.com.)

(RvB) 2C3 2/B3 (R; 100 min.) Forced to drive from Georgia to Los Angeles, a pair of men try to get along. One is a deluded would-be actor named Ethan (Zach Galifianakis), a halfbright stoner bearing a lapdog. The other is a mean executive, Peter (Robert Downey Jr.), trying to get home to be there in time for his wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s C-section. Uneven, in a word. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a road-trip movie with nowhere to go, emotionally speaking, and director Todd Phillips may not be as handy with the Laurel and Hardy dynamic as he was with the Three Stooges vibe in The Hangover. Not a total loss. Photographer Lawrence Sher provides some fine landscapes and nightscapes, Downey explores some really deep rancor and Phillips demonstrates admirable comedic ruthlessness. (RvB) 4/7@ 5/;3 (PG-

13; 108 min.) Doug Limanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s account of the felonious Valerie Plame business is a model of exciting, intelligent espionage lore. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shot with braced but fluid camerawork. Naomi B63 16@=<71:3A =4 Wattsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; performance as </@<7/( D=G/53 =4 Plame is one of the yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s B63 2/E< B@3/23@ best. Between the Sept.

11 attacks and the Iraq (PG; 115 min.) The elder invasion, members of the Pevensies, Peter and CIA ask the independent Susan, are in America. consultant Joseph Left behind are two Wilson (Sean Penn) to younger children, Lucy go to Niger to confirm (Georgie Henley) and confidential reports of Edmund (Skandar Keynes), who are billeted uranium being sent to Saddam Hussein. Wilson with their hateful quickly discovers there cousin Eustace (Will was no such shipment.

Poulter). Inundated by In a Nixonian attempt to an enchanted painting, silence a whistleblower, Lucy, Edmund and high Bush administration Eustace end up bobbing figures leak the name of in the sea right next Wilsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife, Victoria to the Narnian navy Plame, to columnist vessel containing Prince Robert Novak, a move Caspian (Ben Barnes). that destroys her career Eventually, seven and puts her operations golden swords have to in jeopardy. Penn gives be rescued and placed one of his strongest and on the altar of Aslan. slyest performances.

There are times when (RvB) the Narnia movies are as good as CGI :=D3 /<2 =B63@ gets. The animators 2@C5A (R; 113 min.) challenge themselves Pseudo-sophisticated romance by Edward to pose their legions of Zwick, loosely adapted creatures under highnoon lighting, instead of from Hard Sell: The disguising the flaws with Evolution of a Viagra

@3D73EA

Salesman by Jamie Reidy. In the 1990s, a breezy Pittsburgh-based pharma-salesman (Jake Gyllenhaal) and a freespirited lady (Anne Hathaway) meet in a doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office. A hot yet hostile relationship breaks out. But Jamie quickly diagnoses whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eating Maggie: she has stage one Parkinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and is determined to have a reckless good time while her body holds out. Hathaway could have carried this as light comedy, but she comes on furious and knocks this unsteady movie flat. And sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a sweeping force meeting an equal, opposite reaction in Gyllenhaal, who is about as deep as Jason Biggs from the American Pie movies.

Under the direction of the nice guy who created Thirtysomething, it carries the kind of happy ending youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d need a happiness drug to accept. (RvB) ;35/;7<2 (PG; 96 min.) Rivals from the moment their planets were destroyed and they were sent to Earth, Megamind (Will Ferrel) and Metro Man (Brad Pitt) have competed in the usual battle of good vs. evil in the new animated film Megamind. The movie has an enjoyable twist when Metro Man is eliminated, and Megamind is left to rampage Metro City with his best friend, Minion (David Cross). Following the unconventional yet delightful storyline, Megamind seeks to fill his boredom of having no one to fight by creating a new good superhero, Tighten (Jonah Hill). However, Tighten has other plans; he intends to use his newly acquired laser vision, superstrength and ability to fly for his own interests. Megamind, Metro Man and even Tighten all have their sights on Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey), a newswoman in the Lois Lane mold.

The themesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;never taking things for granted and being careful about what you wish forâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;offer lessons for people of all ages. (SZ) B63 <3FB B6@33 2/GA (PG-13; 122

min.) A remake of

7< :793 4:G<<!Hbssfuu!Ifemvoe!qmbzt!Tbn!Gmzoo!jo!Ă&#x2022;Uspo!Mfhbdz-Ă&#x2013;!b!4E!sfnblf!pg!uif!Ă&#x2022;91Ă&#x2013;t!dvmu!tdj.Ă&#x;!Ă jdl/

Fred CavayĂŠâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2008 French thriller Pour Elle (Anything for Her), The Next Three Days centers on John Brennan (Russell Crowe), a college professor happily married to Lara (Elizabeth Banks).

Brennanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seemingly idyllic existence gets turned upside down when Lara is arrested for the murder of her boss.

Circumstantial evidence strongly suggests Laraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guilt. After three years and unsuccessful appeals, Brennan decides thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only one alternative left: breaking Lara out of prison. Haggis can direct tense, suspenseful action scenes. Despite the sermon-ready subject matter, The Next Three Days doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel like a movie-with-amessage for most of its two-hour running time.

Director Paul Haggis proves that he can direct tense, suspenseful action scenes. (MV) % 6=C@A (R; 94 min.)

127 Hours is director Danny Boyleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s version of the true-life story of climber Aron Ralston.

In spring 2003, Ralston was pinned under a half-ton boulder in a remote Utah canyon; what he did to survive became worldwide news.

127 Hours records an ordeal so singular, Poe couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t improve on it.

Unfortunately, Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)

tries to blow up the storyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s elemental horror through pyrotechnics.

He starts with a burst of relentless motion, as in his Trainspotting.

Unfortunately, this ADD style has been thoroughly appropriated for sportsdrink commercials. James Francoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visceral acting in the service of this horror story probably should be praised, even if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a pleasure to watch. One would have to be fairly simple-minded to think of this ghastly story as some kind of triumph of the human spirit. (RvB) B/<5:32 (PG; 153 min.) Directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard stress the most resonant interpretation of the tale: Rapunzel as a myth for all parts of the world where girls arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allowed to run free. The imprisoning witch Gothel is a curvy villainess feeding on the youth and hopes of the girl whom she imprisons. Remodeled as a Disney princess (voiced

by Mandy Moore), this Rapunzel is freed by a rakish young thief. Thirdact developments take the plot into a different resolution than the Brothers Grimm charted, adding to the surprise of the cartoon. You can see the influences and salute them as they pass: the antique charm of 3D Viewmaster fairy-tale slides, Romanian villages,

Utahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Canyonlands, the floating lanterns of the Japanese Obon festival; the block-headed yobs at the Snuggly Ducky tavern look as if they modeled for Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spitting Image. As for actual hero Maximus the horse, there hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been such a hilarious steed since Chuck Jones died.

(RvB) B7<G 4C@<7BC@3

(Unrated; 98 min.) As is said of a talentless YouTube artist Jed (Alex Karpovsky), Tiny Furniture â&#x20AC;&#x153;is a little bit famous in the Internet way.â&#x20AC;? Director/star/ writer Lena Dunham stars as Generation Boomerang college grad Aura, moping over two different men, neither one worth the trouble.

Loitering in her familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Manhattan loft, Aura (or Dunham, where the dividing line between the two lies is a matter of opinion) coasts on the fame of having done â&#x20AC;&#x153;fat is a feminist issueâ&#x20AC;? videos of herself, bikiniclad, primping in the fountain of her college quad. Going pantsless and dressing in front of the camera, Dunham exposes a lot of her pearshaped form, and sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clearly not out to be loved unconditionally; sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the first to admit sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a self-involved whiner. Certainly thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s some courage here. But behind that courage

is what? Emoting the heartbreak sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supposed to be suffering is beyond Dunham as an actressâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;especially compared to similar antecedents: this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Exploding Girl, or 2005â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Funny Ha Ha (or Greta Gerwig saying that sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been out of college as long as sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been in, a line she has in Greenberg). Explaining her woes to her mom, Aura says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a young, young person, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m trying really hard.â&#x20AC;? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s practically a plea to the audience. (RvB) B63 B=C@7AB (PG13; 114 min.) Johnny Depp stars as Frank, a hapless American tourist unlucky enough to have been targeted

by Elise, a woman with a dangerous past, played

by Angelina Jolie. Frank attempts to kindle a romance while Elise attempts to evade her pursuersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a criminal exboyfriend, the gangster he stole from and the agent (Paul Bettany) hot on their trail.

C<AB=>>/0:3 (PG-13; 111 min.) Only Tony Scott would het up a runaway train movie, a subject het up enough on its own.

In Unstoppable, old dog (Denzel Washington) and young pup (Chris Pine) race a single engine to catch up with an unmanned train heading for catastrophe; news helicopters buzz around

the runaway train as it speeds down the track.

Scott crowds the location changes with captions, including my new alltime favorite: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Zinc Plant, Southern Pennsylvania.â&#x20AC;?

Pennsylvania in the full Amazonian green-hell of summer would be a perfect background for a hell-bound train, but this is forlorn, waning fall. Computer animation allows the bad train into something able to do things trains canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ordinarily do, like dance sideways on the rails like the circus train in Dumbo. This impedes the free enjoyment of the heavy-machinery porn, something Scott usually does very well. Every Scott film is heavy on the exclamation points, but this one is as worn out as Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rail infrastructure. (RvB) B63 E/@@7=@¸A E/G

(R; 100 min.) Korean action star Dong-gun Jang plays an elite Ninja warrior forced into hiding in the American West when he refuses to kill an enemyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s young son in this visually dazzling mashup of the Western, martial arts and fantasy genres.

When his enemies finally catch up with him, Jangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s character receives help from new friends, played by Kate Bosworth (the local circus knifethrower) and Geoffrey Rush (the town drunk).

$ j 27<3@¸A 5C723 december 15-22, 2010 A/<B/1@CH 1=;

As stocking stuffers go, this one is very rare.

(Or, if you prefer, well done.)

The Hindquarterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pre-paid Hospitality Card Stop by for yours today.

Get one for yourself and others as gifts. Load them for as much as you want.

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re as good as cash and can be reloaded over and over. Whoever you give one to will have a cow!

Dinerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide

Our selective list of area restaurants includes those that have been favorably reviewed in print by Santa Cruz Weekly food critics and others that have been sampled but not reviewed in print. All visits by our writers are made anonymously, and all expenses are paid by Metro Santa Cruz.

AG;0=:A ;/23 A7;>:3( + C\RS` + # + $ + O\R c^

Price Ranges based on average cost of dinner entree and salad, excluding alcoholic beverages

/>B=A $$ Aptos $$ Aptos $$$ Aptos $$$ Aptos

$$ Aptos

/;0@=A7/ 7<27/ 07AB@=

207 Searidge Rd, 831.685.0610 0@7B/<<7/ /@;A

8017 Soquel Dr, 831.688.1233 :/ 03::/ D7B/ 07AB@=

257 Center Ave, 831.685.8111 A3D3@7<=¸A 5@7::

7500 Old Dominion Ct, 831.688.8987

303 Soquel Avenue between Ocean and PaciďŹ c

Lunch & Dinner www.thehindquarter.com

I

In Santa Cruz

I

Reservations Advised

American and specialty dishes from the British and Emerald Isles.

Full bar. Children welcome. Happy hour Mon-Fri 2-6pm.

Open daily 11am to 2am.

Italian. Ambience reminiscent of a small trattoria in the streets of Italy, serving handmade lasagna, pasta dishes, gnocchi and fresh fish. Wed-Sun, lunch 11am-2pm, dinner 5-9pm.

Continental California cuisine. Breakfast all week 6:30-11am, lunch all week 11am-2pm; dinner Fri-Sat 5-10pm, Sun-Thu 5-9pm. www.seacliffinn.com.

H/;33< ;327B3@@/<3/< Middle Eastern/Mediterranean. Fresh, fast, flavorful. Gourmet

7528 Soquel Dr, 831.688.4465

426-7770 â&#x20AC;&#x153;where the elite meatâ&#x20AC;?

Indian. Authentic Indian dishes and specialties served in a comfortable dining room. Lunch buffet daily 11:30am-2:30pm; dinner daily 5pm to close. www.ambrosiaib.com.

meat and vegetarian kebabs, gyros, falafel, healthy salads and Mediterranean flatbread pizzas. Beer and wine. Dine in or take out. Tue-Sun 11am-8pm.

1/>7B=:/

>/@/27A3 ACA67

Capitola

200 Monterey Ave, 831.464.3328

Japanese. This pretty and welcoming sushi bar serves superfresh fish in unusual but well-executed sushi combinations.

Wed-Mon 11:30am-9pm.

California Continental. Swordfish and other seafood specials.

Dinner Mon-Thu 5:30-9:30pm; Fri 5-10pm; Sat 4-10:30pm; Sun 4-9pm.

A6/2=E0@==9

Capitola

1750 Wharf Rd, 831.475.1511

AB=19B=< 0@7253 5@7::3 Mediterranean tapas. Innovative menu, full-service bar,

Capitola

231 Esplanade, 831.464.1933

international wine list and outdoor dining with terrific views in the heart of Capitola Village. Open daily.

$$$ Capitola

H3:2/¸A

203 Esplanade, 831.475.4900

California cuisine. Nightly specials include prime rib and lobster. Daily 7am-2am.

A/<B/ 1@CH $$ Santa Cruz

$ Santa Cruz

$$ Santa Cruz $$ Santa Cruz

/1/>C:1=

1116 Pacific Ave, 831. 426.7588

16/@:73 6=<5 9=<5

1141 Soquel Ave, 831. 426.5664

1:=C2A

110 Church St, 831.429.2000 B63 1@3>3 >:/13

1134 Soquel Ave, 831.429.6994

1@=E¸A <3AB

Santa Cruz

2218 East Cliff Dr, 831.476.4560

$$ Santa Cruz

67<2?C/@B3@

$$ Santa Cruz

6=44;/<¸A

303 Soquel Ave, 831.426.7770

1102 Pacific Ave, 837.420.0135

6C:/¸A 7A:/<2 5@7::

Santa Cruz

221 Cathcart St, 831.426.4852

$$ Santa Cruz

7 :=D3 ACA67

516 Front St, 831.421.0706

Mexican. A local favorite since 1967! Full bar, patio dining, colorful dĂŠcor and friendly service. Top-shelf margaritas, over 50 tequilas, skirt steak asada, chicken fajitas, tequila prawn fettuccini, coconut prawns, even eggs benedict on the weekends!

California organic meets Southeast Asian street food. Organic noodle and rice bowls, vegan menu, fish and meat options, Vietnamese-style sandwiches, eat-in or to-go. Consistent winner â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best Cheap Eats.â&#x20AC;? Open daily 11am-11pm.

American, California-style. With a great bar scene, casually glamorous setting and attentive waitstaff. Full bar. Mon-Sat 11:30am-10pm, Sun 1-10pm.

Crepes and more. Featuring the spinach crepe and Tunisian donut. Full bar. Mon-Thu 11am-midnight, Fri 11am-1am, Sat 10am-1am, Sun 10am-midnight.

Seafood. Fresh seafood, shellfish, Midwestern aged beef, pasta specialties, abundant salad bar. Kids menu and nightly entertainment. Harbor and Bay views. Lunch and dinner daily.

Americana. Ribs, steaks and burgers are definitely the stars.

Full bar. Lunch Mon-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm; dinner Sun-Thu 5:30-9:30pm, Fri-Sat 5:30-10pm.

California/full-service bakery. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best Eggs Benedict in Town.â&#x20AC;? Happy Hour Mon-Fri 5-6pm. Halfprice appetizers; wines by the glass. Daily 8am-9pm. â&#x20AC;&#x2122;60s Vegas meets â&#x20AC;&#x2122;50s Waikiki. Amazing dining experience in kitchy yet swanky tropical setting. Fresh fish, great steaks, vegetarian. Full-service tiki bar. Happy-hour tiki drinks. Aloha Fri, Sat lunch 11:30am-5pm. Dinner nightly 5pm-close.

Japanese Fusion. Sushi bar, sake bar, vegetarian, seafood, steak in fun atmosphere; kids play area; karaoke every night. Open seven days 5-10pm; Mon-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm.

j $!

A/<B/1@CH 1=; december 15-22, 2010 27<3@¸A 5C723 $$ Santa Cruz

8=6<<G¸A 6/@0=@A723

493 Lake Ave, 831.479.3430

Seafood/California. Fresh catch made your way! Plus many other wonderful menu items. Great view. Full bar. Happy hour Mon-Fri. Brunch Sat-Sun 10am-2pm. Open daily.

$$$ :/ >=AB/ Santa Cruz 538 Seabright Ave, 831.457.2782

Italian. La Posta serves Italian food made in the old styleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; simple and delicious. Tue-Thu 5:30-9:30pm. Fri and Sat 5:30-10pm. Sundays 5-8pm. Closed on Mondays.

$$ Santa Cruz

Fine Mexican cuisine. Opening daily at noon.

=:7B/A

49B Municipal Wharf, 831.458.9393

$$ Santa Cruz

>/17471 B6/7

$$ Santa Cruz

>=7<B 16=> 6=CA3

1319 Pacific Ave, 831.420.1700

Portola Dr, 831.476.2733

@7AB=@/<B3 7B/:7/<=

Santa Cruz

555 Soquel Ave, 831.458.2321

$$ Santa Cruz

@=A73 ;11/<<¸A

1220 Pacific Ave, 831.426.9930

@=G/: B/8 1C7A7<3

Santa Cruz

270 Soquel Ave, 831.427.2400

$$ Santa Cruz

105 Walnut Ave, 831.423.2020

$$$ Santa Cruz

$$ Santa Cruz

A=74

AB/5</@= 0@=A

59 Municipal Wharf 831.423.2180 E==2AB=19¸A >7HH/

710 Front St, 831.427.4444

Thai. The only Thai restaurant in downtown Santa Cruz .

Delicious menu is only further complemented by authentic, Thai tea, shakes and smoothies. Modern dining setting offers warm and inviting atmosphere to relax.

American/ Steakhouse. Casual neighborhood restaurant near Pleasure Point, offering wide selection of American cuisine, featuring prime steaks, chops, seafood and pasta, in classic steakhouse setting. Open 7 days a week, breakfast served Sunday.

Italian-American. Mouthwatering, generous portions, friendly service and the best patio in town. Full bar. Lunch.

Irish pub and restaurant. Informal pub fare with reliable execution. Lunch and dinner all day, open Mon-Fri 11:30am-midnight, Sat-Sun 11:30am-1:30am.

Indian. World-famous curries, vegetarian and nonvegetarian dishes. Authentic Indian food at affordable prices. $8.95 lunch buffet Mon-Thu 11:30am -2:30pm, Fri-Sun 11am-3pm.

Wine bar with menu. Flawless plates of great character and flavor; sexy menu listings; wines to match. Dinner Sun-Thu 5-10pm FriSat 5-11pm. Wine shop Sun-Mon 5-10pm, Tue-Sat noon-close.

Seafood. Offering largest selection of fresh seafood, with wide variety of pastas, salads, steaks and a childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s menu. Upper deck lounge offers view of Monterey Bay, Steamer Lane and Boardwalk. Casual family style dining every day from 11am.

Pizza. Pizza, fresh salads, sandwiches, wings, desserts, beers on tap. Patio dining, sports on HDTV and free WiFi. Large groups and catering. Open and delivering Fri-Sat 11am-2am, Mon-Thu 11am-1am, Sun 11am-midnight.

A/< :=@3<H= D/::3G $ 63/D3<:G 1/43 American. Serving breakfast and lunch daily. Large parties Scotts Valley 1210 Mt. Hermon Rd, 831.335.7311 welcome. Mon-Fri 6:30am-2:15pm, Sat-Sun 7am-2:45pm. $ 87/ B3::/¸A Scotts Valley 560D Scotts Valley Dr,

Cambodian. Fresh kebabs, seafood dishes, soups and noodle bowls with a unique Southeast Asian flair. Beer and wine

$$$ Felton

Italian. Authentic Italian cuisine nestled among redwoods, in a friendly atmosphere off Hwy 9. Chef Sebastian Nobile uses seasonal, local, organic ingredients whenever possible by utilizing a wide variety of quality Central Coast ingredients.

=/9 B@33 @7AB=@/<B3

5447 Hwy. 9, 831.335.5551

64 |

december 15-22, 2010 SANTACRUZ.COM

j $#

A/<B/1@CH 1=; december 15-22, 2010 /AB@=:=5G

Astrology Free Will

By Rob Brezsny

For the week of December 15 /@73A (March 21â&#x20AC;&#x201C;April 19): I vividly remember seeing singer Diamanda Galas in concert. Though classically trained, she didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t confine herself to mellif luous melodies and elegant tones. She was a whirlwind of elemental sound, veering from animalistic bellows to otherworldly chants to operatic glossolalia. It was all very entertaining, and often enjoyable. The skill with which she shaped the sound as it escaped her body was prodigious.

My companion and I agreed that â&#x20AC;&#x153;she made your ears convulse and your eyes writhe and your skin prickleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but in a good way.â&#x20AC;? How would you feel about inviting some similar experiences into your life, Aries? The astrological omens suggest this would be an excellent time to seek the rowdy healing that only disciplined wildness can provide.

B/C@CA (April 20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;May 20): Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a haikulike poem by Cor van den Heuvel: â&#x20AC;&#x153;the little girl / hangs all the ornaments / on the nearest branch.â&#x20AC;?

My comment: Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cute that the girl crams all the decorations onto one small section of the tree, and maybe her parents will keep them that way. But I recommend that you take a different approach as you work to beautify and enliven your environment.

Spread out your offerings; distribute your blessings equally; make sure that everything in need of invigoration gets what it requires.

53;7<7 (May 21â&#x20AC;&#x201C;June 20): This is a good time to go in search of any secrets youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been hiding from yourself. I suggest you also try to track down the â&#x20AC;&#x153;missing linksâ&#x20AC;? that arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really missing but rather are neglected. My advice is similar for the supposedly â&#x20AC;&#x153;lost treasureâ&#x20AC;? youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re wondering about: Clues about its whereabouts are lying around in full view for anyone who is innocent enough to see them. P.S. Being uncomplicated isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t normally your strong suit, but this is one of those rare times when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have an aptitude for it.

1/<13@ (June 21â&#x20AC;&#x201C;July 22): In the TV comedy series Arrested Development, Buster Bluth was an adult character who was a bit over-attached to his mother. It seemed to have to do with the fact that he lingered in her womb for 11 months before agreeing to be born. The obstetrician claimed â&#x20AC;&#x153;there were claw marks on her uterus.â&#x20AC;? I want to be sure you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make a comparable misstep in the coming weeks, Cancerian. It really is time for you to come out and play. Ready or not, leave your protective sanctuary and leap into the jangly, enchanting tumult. :3= (July 23â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Aug. 22): I have imaginary friends who help me. And yes, they sometimes even give me ideas for your horoscopes. Are you OK with that?

Among the many other perks my secret buddies provide, they show me where my cell phone and car keys are when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve misplaced themâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a prime sign of their practical value. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your current status in regards to imaginary friends, Leo? Do you even have any? This would be an excellent time to seek them out and put them to work. In fact, I encourage you to do anything that might attract the input of undiscovered allies, behind-the-scenes collaborators, mysterious guidance and divine assistance.

D7@5= (Aug. 23â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Sept. 22): Might there be a message for you in the mist on the window? Can you find a clue to the next phase of your destiny by scanning a newspaper that the wind blows against your leg as youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re walking? Be alert for the undertones, Virgo. Tune in to the subtexts. Scan the peripheries for the future as it reveals itself a little early. You never know when the hidden world might be trying to slip you a tip. You should be alert for the deeper storylines weaving themselves just below the level where the supposedly main plot is unfolding. :70@/ (Sept. 23â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Oct. 22): A musician who records under the name of Shamantis took Justin Bieberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s silly pop tune â&#x20AC;&#x153;U Smile,â&#x20AC;? and slowed it down 800 percent. The new work was a 35-minute-long epic masterpiece of ambient electronica that The New York Times praised as â&#x20AC;&#x153;ghostlyâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;oceanic.â&#x20AC;?

More than two million people tuned in to hear it on the Internet. Might there be a comparable transformation in your future, Libra? From an astrological perspective, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prime time for you to transform a pedestrian exercise into a transcendent excursion, or a trivial diversion into an elegant inspiration, or a meaningless entertainment into a sublime learning opportunity.

A1=@>7= (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): More than a few wildlife films use deception to fool the audiences into thinking theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re watching animals in the wild. So says Chris Palmer, a producer of many such films. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One classic trick involves hiding jellybeans in carcasses,â&#x20AC;? he told New Scientist. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you see a bear feeding on a dead elk in a film, you can be pretty sure that the bear was hired from a game farm and is looking for sweets hidden in the carcass by the film-makers.â&#x20AC;? I suspect you will encounter a metaphorically comparable ruse or switcheroo sometime soon, Scorpio. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be your job to be an enforcer of authenticity. Be on the lookout for the jellybeans.

A/57BB/@7CA (Nov. 22â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Dec. 21): My favorite news source, The Onion, reported on a proposed law that would prohibit marriage between any two people who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t actually love each other (Onion.com/LoveLaw). Couples whose unions are rooted in mutual antipathy or indifference are of course protesting the plan, insisting that they have as much of a right to wed as those who care for each other deeply and treat each other tenderly. Whether or not this proposal becomes a formal part of the legal system, Sagittarius, I urge you to embrace it. In fact, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll go so far as to ask you not to do anything at all unless you are at least somewhat motivated by love.

The coming months will be a time when your success will depend on your ability to rise to new heights of compassion, romance, eros, tenderness, empathy and affection.

1/>@71=@< (Dec. 22â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Jan. 19): Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imagine weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re fifth-century monks living in the land that today is known as the south of France. And letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s say we decide weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to build a chapel in a place that has long been a pagan shrine dedicated to the moon goddess Selene. Shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t we consider the possibility that our new house of worship may be imbued with the vibes of the previous sanctuary? Wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t our own spiritual aspirations be colored by those of the people who for hundreds of years poured forth their devotions? Now shift your attention to the present day, and apply our little thought experiment to whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on in your life. Tune in to the influences that may be conditioning the new thing youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to create.

/?C/@7CA (Jan. 20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Feb. 18): I would like to steal your angst, Aquarius. I fantasize about sneaking into your room tonight, plucking your nightmares right out of the heavy air, and spiriting them away.

I imagine sidling up to you on a crowded street and pickpocketing your bitterness and frustrationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; maybe even pilfering your doubts, too. I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t keep any of these ill-gotten goods for myself, of course. I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t try to profit from them in any way.

Instead, I would donate them to the yawning abyss, offer them up to the stormy ocean, or feed them to a bonfire on a primal beach. P.S. Even though I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t personally accomplish these things, there is now a force loose in your life that can. Are you willing to be robbed of things you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need? >7A13A (Feb. 19â&#x20AC;&#x201C;March 20): In 2011, I bet that memory wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t play as big a role in your life as it has up until now. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean to say that you will neglect or forget about the past. Rather, I expect that you will be less hemmed in by the consequences of what happened way back when. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to work around and maybe even transcend the limitations that the old days and the old ways used to impose on you.

Your free will? It will be freer than maybe it has ever been. Your creative powers will override the inertia of how things have always been done.

6][Se]`Y( EVOb R] g]c T]`SaSS VO^^S\W\U W\ bVS e]`ZR W\ - EVOb R] g]c ^`SRWQb T]` g]c` ]e\ ZWTS- E`WbS B`cbV`]]abS`.U[OWZ Q][

Go to @3/:/AB@=:=5G 1=; to check out Rob Brezsnyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Expanded Weekly Audio Horoscopes and Daily Text Message Horoscopes. The audio horoscopes are also available by phone &%% &%! "&&& or 1.900.950.7700

66 |

e

C L ASS I F I E DS

December 15-22, 2010 S a n t a c r u z .co m

CLASSIFIED INDEX

PLACING AN AD

¡ ™ £ ¢ ∞

BY PHONE

BY MAIL

EMAIL

Call the Classified Department at 408.298.8000, Monday through Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm.

Mail to Santa Cruz Classifieds, 115 Cooper St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.

classifieds@metronews.com Please include your Visa, MC, Discover or American Express number and expiration date for payment.

Employment Classes & Instruction Family Services Music Real Estate

66 66 66 66 67

IN PERSON

BY FAX Fax your ad to the Classified Department at 831.457.5828.

Paid In Advance!

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Employment

Jobs

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Watsonville & Santa Cruz $10$13/hr. Full time long term WordShip&USPS Intl E-mail/ Phone Customers Resume Required KELLY SERVICES, 425-0653 email: 1471@kellyservices.com *Never A Fee*

Production Workers Wanted!

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Food production in Watsonville Day and Swing Shifts Available Must have a flexible schedule Fluent in English required Must have reliable transportation & pass a drug test TempTo-Hire $8.50/hr.

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Front Desk Receptionist f

At Health Conscious Co In Watsonville $11/hr. Full Time Long Term MS Word & Excel Experience with Switchboard Management experience a plus! BA/BS degree preferred KELLY SERVICES, 425-0653 email: 1471@kellyservices.com *Never A Fee*

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LOST CAT/REWARD! Our cat’s name is Figaro and was lost 11/9/10 in the shopping center on 17th and East Cliff Drive He is 2 years old, black and white. $60.00 reward to anyone who finds him!

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Home Furnishings

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CHAIRS FOR SALE 6 dining room chairs with pillows.

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Your Ad Here!

Browse through the the Santa Cruz Weekly classifieds. Get seen today. To advertise call 831.457.9000.

For copy, payment, space reservation or cancellation: Display ads: Friday 12 noon Line ads: Friday 3pm

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Female Singer wanted for original Rock Band Female Singer wanted (20s30s) for original Rock Band...

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g g Professional Services

Music

Bands

The Delgado Brothers The Delgado Brothers Blues Band are visiting the Bay Area for their Holiday Kickoff Party at Club Fox in Redwood City on December 18, 2010.

Opening for The Delgado Brothers is The Stan Erhart Band.

Stan Erhart 8 PM Delgado Brothers 9 PM

Financial Services

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Stout Recording Studio.com Recording, Mixing, Mastering 24 Track Analog, 24 Bit Digital Randy Burk, Producer/ Session Drummer $35.00 an hour. Oakland 510-567-8572

g g Family Services

DEADLINES

Services

Transportation

Automobiles

Audi A4 for Sale 1999, 1.8T, leather seats, dark blue exterior, sun/moon roof, four door, cd player, 128,000 miles, automatic (tiptronic transmission), good condition $5,250 Call Leah @ 831.251.9813

Pass It On Tell them you saw it in the Santa Cruz Weekly Classifieds!

Santa Cruz Weekly Classifieds 115 Cooper Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Monday to Friday, 8.30am – 5pm Charge by phone, fax or email 24 hours a day ¬ 831.457.9000 PHONE

√ 831.457.5828 FAX

S a n t a c r u z .co m December 15-22, 2010 C L ASS I F I E DS

Homes g Real Estate Sales

Homes Under $600K

Felton Secluded Setting 4Bd 2Ba Home with HEATED 2 Car Garage $405,000 Over 2200 sqft. Situated on 3/4 of an acre with creek down below.

Listed by: Town and Country Real Estate Call Josh for more info (831)335-3200

WatsonvilleThe Wow Factor!

3Bd Home $287,500 This one is move in ready, everything has been repaired, replaced, painted, planted, fertilized, watered, and it sparkles.

Listed by: Town and Country Real Estate Call Josh for more info (831)335-3200

g Land

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gg Homes

Felton/Zayante

Miscellaneous

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(AAN CAN)

Judy Ziegler, GRI, CRS Cornucopia Real Estate 1001 Center Street - Suite 5 Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Phone: 831-429-8080 Fax: 831-429-2898 judy@cornucopia.com URL: www.cornucopia.com

SHE WHO TOOK ON THE CHURCH The place fascinated me. I thought of buying it. Although it was not my listing I had no doubt I would find the buyer. Over six thousand square feet of rooms and nooks and soaring threestory ceilings and stained glass windows and eight toilets and five urinals. When I first saw it a retired, eccentric college professor was living there alone.

Hundreds of his modern style paintings, consisting mostly of swatches of somber colors strewn randomly about, were on all the enormously high walls. Books abounded. Artistic touches astounded.

It was fun, funky, eclectic and definitely special and unique.

A creepy basement held mysterious objects. The kitchen was always flooding due to exterior drainage issues and you stood on wooden pallets to keep your feet dry while cooking. The central heating cost a large fortune to use. The acoustical ceiling was falling all over the main church area. The childrenʼs nursery/crying room was a soggy mess. The garden was overgrown and ancient dirty dripping trees were uprooting the sidewalk and to get there you crawled through a downstairs window, broken naturally. The roof was leaking. The piece de résistance was the upstairs shower which was structured from the baptismal pool. To bathe, you climbed up a rickety ladder and down the other side into a primordial pit decorated with fresh mold on all the walls with a little fungus thrown in for balance. Two old, sickly blind cats were included. The location was questionable. Cheap though.

I showed it to contractors, families, investors, decorators, therapists, veterinarians, cults, and business groups. I provided a steady stream of potential prospects. Everyone freaked out claiming too much work and expense. Then SHE walked in the door. I shall call her Saint Catherine. Brought up in a devout religious background, with lots of sinning and forgiving going on, she claimed she had always wanted to own a church.

One single lady, working as a full-time teacher, stepped right up to the plate, or rather the altar. She put on her power gloves and went to work. She hired, fired, organized and three years later lives in amazing grace in an amazing place. Truly, she deserves her spot in heaven. Halos off to her. You may not be quite so ambitious, but Iʼm sure we can find you a miraculous place.

D! CE DU RE

Not yet on MLS! A beautiful, extra large 3 bd 2 ba newer home, over 2200 sqft.+ attached 2 car garage, on a little over an acre of land, serene creek side setting Price at $500,000. Listed by: Town and Country Real Estate Call Josh for more info (831)335-3200

Real Estate Services

| 67

Live in the heart of Santa Cruz in El Rio Mobile Home Park REDUCED! Was $135,000 Now Asking $99,000 • Ownership in Co-op park • Beautiful paneling throughout • 1 Bedroom with pine ceiling, fan • Spacious bath with custom vanity • Large, sunny, private garden area • Go green, walk everywhere!

• Includes stainless fridge, washer/dryer Income restrictions apply, call for details.

Judy Ziegler ph: 831-429-8080 cell: 831-334-0257

www.cornucopia.com

AN EXPERIENCED

TEAM

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WAMM Opens Membership!

Apply for membership to WAMM for Low cost Organic Medicine! Longest running MMJ Org. in Nation. Serving Santa Cruz for 17 years! WAMM.org, 831-425-0580. peace

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