S 2015 11 19

Scientists, authors, activists and more predict the outcome of the upcoming U.N. climate talks in Paris

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This latest issue of SN&R was always supposed to be about Paris. Just not like this. Our latest cover story (see page 16) looks ahead to the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, scheduled to launch November 30 in France.

It’s difficult, however, not to think instead of the brutal November 13 Islamic State attack on the City of Light. At least 129 are confirmed dead and scores more injured.

It’s difficult to think about about tomorrow’s environment when, once again, it’s today’s civilization being tested.

But we must.

On Monday, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls confirmed the talks will still take place—although the scope has been scaled back dramatically.

Gone are concerts and other celebrations. Only treaty negotiations will continue as planned. And, ultimately, it’s those negotiations that matter most as we ask world leaders to forge a treaty to reduce global warming.

In light of these talks, SN&R spearheaded a national project that will be published in 40-plus newspapers and media outlets. Letters to the Future: The Paris Climate Project comprises letters written to future generations by renowned authors and artists, scientists, politicians and activists.

Each letter stands as a prediction on how these climate change discussions will play out. Notable participants include activist Bill McKibben, novelists Jane Smiley and T.C. Boyle, and Sen. Kevin de León, president pro tempore of the California State Senate. There are dozens more letters online and it’s not too late to write your own, too, at www.letterstothefuture.org.

To Paris. The future depends on it.

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“She can fly and I have alWayS Wanted to fly.”

asked at arden Fair mall:

Which cartoon character are you?

Pay ton Fox

BauBie Fox

softball outfielder

Simba, the Lion King.

I just always loved The Lion King growing up.

He was so adventurous.

Brave. He was very outgoing. He was social and unafraid. He learned a lot of lessons.

wine-grape grower

Wonder Woman, for sure.

She has the Lasso of Truth.

I would use it in my world, at work and with my kids.

I probably dressed up as her one time, at least. Do you remember we had those Underoos cartoon pajamas way back when?

I remember having those.

It was fun.

ste ve ruPort

lois Fitzhugh

computer programmer

There is Mighty Mouse, who is strong and saves the day all of the time. That is cool. Then there is Mickey Mouse. He is awesome and everybody loves him. Put the two together and see what you get. Strong and adorable.

mariah addison

Joui shih

retired

export goods buyer

Tinker Bell. She has been my favorite for years. She is so carefree. I would like to be more carefree. She flirts and flitters all over the place. I didn’t dress up as Tinker Bell as a child.

I was past the dress-up stage when Tinker Bell came out.

student

Superman. He is the most powerful hero with a very kind heart. I never dressed up as Superman as child because I would never wear my underwear on the outside! I really like that he can fly and never gets sick.

Tinker Bell. She is actually the cartoon character that is on my stocking, my Christmas stocking. I like her because she can fly and I have always wanted to fly.

I have had random dreams of me flying to school or just flying around for fun.

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that didn’t count nonreporters, drop-outs, preschool children or their parents. The number 20,000 is more like it! Also, there are many more remarkable nonprofits serving various subpopulations without the homeless community who could use volunteer time and financial and material donations. It would be a real service to those groups and the homeless people they serve if the SN&R provided an insert listing and describing them, with contact information!

As you succinctly stated in the middle of your article, Jeff, “We need to do more.”

Ronald Javor Sacramento

Pro-life or anti-choice?

Re “The right to lose” by Raheem Hosseini (SN&R Feature Story, November 12): I’ve never considered the pro-life movement to really be pro-life. They are anti-choice. I live in South Sac along Stockton Boulevard and often see a mobile “crisis pregnancy center” in Little Saigon. There is a lot of prostitution and drug use here, and I think the last thing sex workers or any vulnerable women need is to be told not to get a perfectly safe and perfectly legal medical procedure if they need one. Thank you for writing this article.

Erica Wachs s acr am e nt o

20,000 homeless in Sacramento Re “The right thing” by Jeff vonKaenel (SN&R Greenlight, November 12): Very thoughtful commentary and, unfortunately, the pending

Board of Supervisor action was less than needed to save lives as a monster El Niño begins. I disagree with part of the article.

Citing the “2,600 total homeless” perpetuates a sad under-count: The county’s schools reported over 12,000 homeless children in the eight-month school term, and

Want the good and bad Re “The jerks Nextdoor” by Rachel Leibrock (SN&R Feature Story, October 29): OMG, I think it is a good thing that we can share the good

with the bad, meaning last week a car was parked in front of a residence and a woman’s purse had been left in the car and they broke into car to steal it! It is important to post those things, along with bikes and other valuables taken from neighbors’ open garages, in order to get people to take care of those things happening in their neighborhood. It simply makes us aware and it is very important!

I don’t want to hear just about a new dog, pretty flowers growing near tennis courts, etc.

Lastly, if you go to “settings,” you can choose who you want to hear from, so I hear from no one but my neighborhood—the good and the bad, which is even more important.

Neighbors telling us about someone knocking on doors and to beware is so important, and has definitely alerted people to keep doors locked!

Barbara Luebbermann Sacramento

ONLINE BUZZ

On the POlitical PrOgreSS Of the anti-abOrtiOn mOvement: Until men have some personal rights to their bodies taken away due to getting a woman pregnant, the fight will continue. I’d like to see the conversation focused on men & their responsibility in all this. Especially since the insane religious right continues to treat women like they can’t be in control of making their own choices. Same ’ol shame & blame...

K.l. rogErs v ia Fa c e b o o k #ProChoice people need to be more proactive about our #abortion rights, or we will continue to lose ground.

@burritosandcats

@SacNewsReview

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Online Buzz contributions are not edited for grammar, spelling or clarity.

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Steven Payan says he’s been arrested 10 times, but never prosecuted, for what he calls civil disobedience. He argues that the DA is unfairly targeting protest veterans and leaders.

PHOTO BY GAVIN MCINTYRE

Holiday targeting Activists call Sacramento DA’s prosecution of ‘Black Friday 7’ protesters unneeded and wasteful

by AlAstAir BlAnd

Last Black Friday, deputies arrested 41 people outside a Wal-Mart in Rancho Cordova after they sat in an intersection demanding higher wages and better work hours for employees.

A year later, seven of the protesters are still being prosecuted.

Steven Payan is among the activists facing trial. He has been protesting for workers’ rights, against police brutality and to protect the environment for 8 | SN&R | 11.19.15

nearly a decade. Payan says he has been arrested five times, but only after the November 28, 2014, event at Wal-Mart has he been prosecuted.

“This is completely new, them coming after us like this,” said Payan, a 32-year-old Woodland taxi driver. “They usually just drop the charges.”

Sacramento resident Laura Rubalcaba says much the same thing: She has been arrested twice at political

protests, and both times charges were dropped.

Now, the experienced political demonstrator will actually stand trial for disobeying a police officer—which could land her, as well as Payan, in jail for six months and with a $1,000 fine.

Rubalcaba and others believe Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert may have an agenda against civil disobedience.

In particular, critics say Schubert’s office is targeting seasoned protest organizers, a tactic sources say could weaken organized protest movements.

“They are truly cracking down on dissent by trying to get rid of protest leaders,” said Rubalcaba, 52.

Police told SN&R that it has no such agenda. “The Sacramento Police Department equally respects all individuals who wish to protest and/or exercise first amendment rights,” a media relations officer said in a written statement.

“Any arrests made are based on violations of laws or public ordinances.”

A DA spokesperson did not reply when asked to discuss prosecution of leaders in local civil-disobedience movements.

Numerous protests in Sacramento County have resulted in hundreds of arrests. However, never in the last 10 to 15 years have nonviolent, orchestrated protests resulted in such focused

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Friday’s other tragedy prosecution of demonstrators, according to Cres Vellucci, the Sacramento legal defense coordinator for the National Lawyers Guild.

“A lot of us are convinced this is a chance for the DA to criminalize dissent, and send the message to political activists—whether it’s Black Lives Matter or the Black Friday 7 anti-Wal-Mart protesters—that she is going to punish them for these political protests,” Vellucci said.

He argues that a clear pattern has emerged in which the new district attorney is pressing charges, rather than dropping them, against known protest leaders.

Among the more notable events was the arrest of activist Maile Hampton, with the anti-war, anti-racism group ANSWER Sacramento.

Hampton, who is also one of the Black Friday 7, was charged with “lynching” in February. This seemingly absurd charge stemmed from Hampton’s brief effort to assist a fellow demonstrator, who was being subdued by Sacramento police officers during a protest near the state Capitol. There were other arrests at the demonstration in February against police brutality, but the only charges filed were against Hampton, who was speaking through a bullhorn and was already becoming known for political activism, especially in street protests. District attorney Schubert dropped the charges in late April.

In an exclusive interview in March with The Guardian, Hampton was quoted as saying that law enforcement is clearly trying to target powerful protest leaders.

S.T. Ruiz, an organizer with ANSWER Sacramento, agrees. He told SN&R that authorities nationwide seem to showing “a pick-and-choose pattern” when it comes to breaking up protests.

“They’re going for the leaders, decapitating the head of the movement, so to speak,” Ruiz said. “Maile Hampton was targeted for her leadership with Black Lives Matter.”

Ruiz has participated in the Black Friday Wal-Mart protests of recent years.

“We were doing these protests for a few years, trying to mount pressure against Wal-Mart for its devastating practices against the community,” he said. “Then all of a sudden they started prosecuting people. I would speculate it’s about the new DA setting a precedent that she’s not going to allow people to upset the status quo.”

In addition to Hampton and the Black Friday 7, Schubert has pressed charges

against at least two other protest that U.S. taxpayers are picking up the organizers, according to Vellucci. The slack where Wal-Mart, which pulls in charges were eventually reduced or $16 billion in profits annually, is pinchdropped. ing its pennies. The company’s main However, the process of forcing a stockholders—Christy, Jim, Alice and person to make court appearances for S. Robson Walton—are said to be richmonths, only to have charges dropped, est family in the country, with assets still amounts to what Vellucci calls totaling almost $150 billion. “extrajudicial” treatment. That is, Payan says he works long hours and punishing people without a trial. barely has time to protest for the causes “They are forced to come back to he supports. court repeatedly, miss work and have “But I want to fight for the working this as a shadow over them,” class, to give them a voice,” he Vellucci wrote in an said. “Something needs to email. This approach change so that people causes great don’t have to work inconvenience two jobs and still to political live in poverty.” protesters.

If the goal “And it of the district sends a attorney is very strong to make message to would-be others— demonstrawho may tors think not be able twice about to afford expressing Laura Rubalcaba to miss dissent, it activist facing jail time and fines for protesting work—that may not be they shouldn’t working as well participate in as hoped—not political protests against Payan, that may result in anyway. He says legal arrests, whether planned prosecution will not scare or not.” him away from protesting and Even though a criminal conviction civil disobedience in the future. He and does not mar the record of these individuRubalcaba have both turned down plea als, a prior arrest may influence how they bargain offers and will be appearing in are treated in subsequent interactions with court on November 24. police.

“We’ve been put in a serious posi“[Law enforcement officers] can run tion of having to face criminal charges,” your name on their [computer] system, said Payan, who lives with his girlfriend and they’ll see you’ve been arrested and their daughter. “They’re trying to before,” Rubalcaba said. She believes turn us into criminals, use us as a fear these arrest records, even in the absence tactic, but we’re not going to bend, or of a conviction, have the effect of drawstop doing this, just because we might ing the attention of police. get arrested.”

In an interesting twist, the DA Rubalcaba insists the outcome of her informed SN&R that it was not aware trial will not affect her approach to civil of charges against Rubalcaba, Payan disobedience in the future, though she is or others. This is because the offenses still angered by her prosecution. initially were filed in traffic court, not as “It’s wasting public money and the criminal charges at Sacramento County court’s time, and nobody is benefiting but Superior Court, where the two will appear Wal-Mart,” she said. later this month.

Does this mean no Black Friday The Wal-Mart protest of last protests this year?

November was one of many around Payan will only say that there’s the nation held on the same day. The another protest planned for Friday, demonstrators demanded higher wages November 27, outside an undisclosed for the country’s 1.3 million Wal-Mart Wal-Mart in Sacramento at 10 a.m. And employees. Many Wal-Mart workers that he’ll be there. Ω get by with the help of government aid, which has prompted the argument

“It’s wasting public money and the court’s time, and nobody is benefiting but Wal-Mart.”

The news that a car filled with teenagers on its way to a high school football game was riddled with bullets last week, leaving one dead, both gutted and galvanized a sacramento community already weary of violence.

Grant High School senior Jaulon clavo, 17, was behind the wheel last Friday afternoon, driving his teammates to a division playoff game they would never play. Gunfire flooded the console, critically wounding him and front passenger Malik Johnson. Both youths were transported to local hospitals, but only Johnson survived.

Community members reacted with both despair and resolve.

Sacramento Area Congregations Together organized a march for this past Tuesday evening to call for reinstatement of the city’s ceasefire program, which lost its funding in 2013 and was replaced with the Sacramento Police Department’s Cops & Clergy program.

In a statement released by Sacramento ACT, For His Glory Church co-pastor Sistah Pat Roundtree Rivers said the shooting made it clear that “change has to happen.”

“Our kids need to be able to grow up safe, play sports, enjoy hanging out with friends on a Friday night without being in danger of losing their life,” Rivers added.

Police haven’t identified any suspects or motive in the November 13 ambush, and don’t know whether the gunfire erupted from individuals on foot or in a separate vehicle.

Meanwhile, some solace was taken from the unassuming generosity of Kings center deMarcus cousins. Councilman Rick Jennings outed Cousins for extending a private offer to Clavo’s family to pay for the funeral service. (Raheem F. Hosseini)

clash oF the titans The worst-kept secret in sacramento politics is out: Sheriff Scott Jones will pursue higher office.

The Republican constable will challenge Democratic physician Ami Bera for the seventh district congressional seat Bera currently holds. Jones made the announcement Monday at the Sacramento Marriott hotel in Rancho Cordova, where he was joined by his wife, his predecessor John McGinness and the man Bera defeated, former Congressman Doug Ose. In a lengthy statement, Jones said he tried to avoid politics after becoming sheriff in 2010, but gradually embraced the authority the position bestowed. That was especially true last year, when Jones called for stricter immigration laws following the deaths of two area sheriff’s officers, allegedly gunned down by a Mexican national who had been deported before.

“With the tragic events that occurred last year in our department, immigration reform became a particular focus and passion of mine,” Jones said in his statement. “The system is broken, there is no political courage or will in the executive branch to change it, and Americans in every state on every day are being victimized because of its failure.”

Jones has expressed similar views in the past, but the new wrinkle this time was his connection of the U.S. immigration landscape to europe’s migrant crisis and the recent terrorist attacks in France. “We now know that terrorists, including at least some of those involved in the attack in Paris on Friday, are embedding themselves with refugee immigrants to Western Europe,” he asserted. “There should no longer be any debate over the need to control our own borders and know exactly who is coming into our country.” (RFH)

11.19.15 | SN&R | 9

Metal heads Judge questions DA, police logic in ‘fiasco’ catalytic-converter theft case

by Jason smith

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As the last juror exited the courtroom, Judge Ernest cross-examination, officers were unable to recall basic information pertinent to the case. They claimed to have W. Sawtelle told the lawyers to sit tight: He had a few lost their written logs and ledgers. words for prosecutor Gregory Hayes to take back to the Grippi acknowledged that mistakes were made by Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office: the prosecution, but blames the poorly executed sting “[A]s a taxpayer, I was appalled at the way this case for the acquittal. “Sac PD normally does outstanding was investigated and presented,” he said, according to work,” he told SN&R. “I want to make that clear. But court transcripts from July 31. “From beginning to end, in this case they were sloppy and it hurt us.” this [case] was a fiasco.”

Police officials defended their investigators.

It began with Erik Brown and Bill Lorch being arrested, on live television, for allegedly being key play- “[A]ny circumstances that may have affected the successful prosecution are not indicative of the great ers in Sacramento’s thriving metal-theft black market. work accomplished by the Sacramento PD,” department It ended nearly two years later with a full acquittal spokesman Sgt. Doug Morse wrote in an email. for both men and the judge’s remarks. Now, Sawtelle saw the entire case as there are lingering questions about what unnecessary. law enforcement authorities were more He questioned why the DA pushed interested in: justice, or winning.

“This was clearly forward with a jury trial when the The saga started on alleged crimes, for which he called September 24, 2013, when a run like they’re Brown “clearly guilty,” merited a multi-agency task force led by the after somebody in the citation and $1,000 fine.

Sacramento Police Department Mafia.”

“This was clearly run like raided Brown’s shop, Firehouse they’re after somebody in the Muffler in Del Paso Heights.

Judge Ernest W. Sawtelle Mafia, for crying out loud,” the Brown and shop manager Lorch Sacramento Superior Court judge said. were arrested and accused of buying Brown believes his televised arrest stolen catalytic converters. forced the DA to pursue a case they had In California, it’s a crime to buy or little chance of winning. “They showed my sell a used a catalytic converter. These “cats” arrest live on the news from a helicopter,” he said. contain valuable metals such as platinum and copper, “What were they gonna do, just drop the charges? No, making them popular targets among thieves because they needed to save face by at least getting me to accept muffler shops can recycle used cats without raising a plea deal. suspicion.

“What they did to us wasn’t right, and they Firehouse Muffler landed on the radar of the know that.” police department’s Metal Theft Task Force, which Brown’s attorney, Amber Lunsford, said the DA was formed in 2012 to combat the 81 percent increase used both stall tactics and also the threat of a jury trial in metal thefts the city had seen over the previous to pressure both men into a deal. three years.

“That’s what we call a trial tax,” Lunsford said.

Police say undercover officers sold Brown and “[Fifteen] counts if we went to trial, or one count if we Lorch used catalytic converters on six separate occatook the plea. They’re basically trying to scare people sions. The men were charged with 15 counts apiece. into a plea deal so they can pad their conviction rate.”

But on July 31, a jury took less than two hours to acquit Grippi disagrees. “They call it a ‘trial tax’? That’s them, culminating with Sawtelle’s scolding. not true. We don’t call it that.

For the first time in his career, the judge said he “We call it leverage.” was forced to tell a jury that the DA failed to present Police declined to comment on the cost of the invesmaterial information to the defense during the discovery phase. Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Grippi said tigation. Whatever the figure, it could end up being more: Brown says he recently hired noted civil rights that’s because the prosecution didn’t have the evidence attorney John Burris to pursue a suit against the city. to provide.

He says he’s struggled to recover professionally According to those involved, task force officers since his arrest. didn’t record any of their undercover transactions, “I lost everything,” Brown said. Ω nor were they able to demonstrate a clear chain of possession of the catalytic converters. During

NIELLO ANNIVERSARY SALE

Returning to the scene Former Sacramento police chief Rick Braziel to be new sheriff’s watchdog

by Raheem F. hosseini

ra h e e m h @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

authority. The I.G. can mediate disputes After more than seven months of between community members and the headhunting, Sacramento County is sheriff’s department only upon invitation finally poised to refill its long-vacant from the sheriff.

Office of Inspector General with a familBraziel says he was frank about his iar face: former Sacramento city police desire to be more active than previous chief Rick Braziel. incarnations in his interviews with Jones His appointment was approved and county board of supervisors chairduring a procedural vote Tuesday mornman Phil Serna, a message he says was ing. Braziel takes over an office that’s well-received. charged with monitoring the sheriff’s Braziel will take over the office on department—a role that’s been unfilled December 1. going on three years.

His contract is worth $120,000 for Former Inspector General Lee Dean one year, with the county having the resigned in early 2013. The county option to renew the agreement for four briefly sought a replacement, but ceased additional years. As an independent after finding no local candidates. Instead, contractor, he is ineligible to the county replaced Dean with an receive benefits. automated phone line that Reached by phone, didn’t accept messages Braziel comes across and hung up on callers. as cerebral and The malfunctioning “I’m not part of his enthusiastic. An line recorded zero inner circle.” author of a book on complaints over a community polictwo-year period.

Rick Braziel, ing and recipient The county candidate for inspector general of of two master’s only restarted its Sacramento County on his degrees, he told recruitment process relationship with Sheriff SN&R he intends to following an SN&R Scott Jones be proactive, helping exposé in March. the department reduce Braziel is a use of force incidents and Sacramento native who citizen complaints rather than spent more than 33 years just react to them. with the city police department, the last “They’re the biggest agency around,” four as chief. After his 2012 retirement, he said. “I want to be a resource to the he became a sought-after consultant, sheriff on how to look at best practices.” troubleshooting high-profile use of Braziel may only have a limited force incidents in Southern California, chance to do that with Jones, who Stockton and Ferguson, Mo. announced Monday that he’s running for “It really was a progression of what Congress. Braziel says he learned of the I’ve seen around the country and a desire news from his clock radio. to reinvest in my community,” Braziel “I’m not part of his inside circle,” he said of pursuing the inspector general said, then chuckled. “Policing is nothing position. “It’s all about timing.” but a fluid situation.” Ω Despite the title, the inspector general is not tasked with inspecting alleged misconduct so much as overseeing those inspections. A county staff report An expanded version of this story is available at describes “broad oversight powers,” but www.newsreview.com/sacramento. also highlights the limits of the position’s

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10/21/15 10:47 AM

join our

My letter to the future To my great-great-grandchild by jeff vonkaenel

j e ffv @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

Many were blown down the street with My darling child, high-pressure fire hoses. They were My hope is that a hundred years attacked by vicious police dogs. Their from now, we not only have a wonderful courage revitalized the civil rights climate on our beautiful planet, but also movement. that it will be filled with people like my And so it happened again. It started longtime friend and associate, Melinda with a song. A catchy Earth song created Welsh, who inspired and put together the by a Brazilian musician. It went viral.

Letters to the Future project. If so, it will Then one Friday afternoon at 2 p.m., be a wonderful place to live. a Japanese sophomore stood up during But we will never meet. math class and sang the Earth song. She You will be reading this letter 100 is not sure why she did it. She said it years from now. I will have departed this just seemed silly to be sitting learning planet long ago. about math when the world was being We will never talk. I will never be destroyed. able to cradle you in my arms, tell you She was stunned when all of her stories, take you for a walk, spoil you classmates stood up and joined rotten. her singing the Earth song.

You have much of my Someone posted the video DNA. You also have my online. The following love. I love you now At a similar Friday afternoon, even before you have in thousands of come into being. moment in classrooms, kids It is because of this history, something stood up and sang the love that I was in such happened: It was Earth song. And then despair in November the following Friday, 2015. For my generation the kids. hundreds of thousands of continues to pour so kids were singing the Earth much carbon into the air song. The following Friday it that we are raising the Earth’s was millions. Then tens of millions. temperature. This is changing our Then the kids began convincing their weather, raising our ocean levels and parents, their aunts and uncles, their older bringing environmental destruction to brothers and sisters to sing the Earth our planet. And to yours. song on Friday afternoons. Suddenly Many of us actively supported the at offices, at hospitals, in prisons, in environmental movement. But, in 2015, churches, on subways, on planes, one it seemed our efforts were no match for the corporate interests that made so much person would start singing. And then everyone would join in. profit from the Earth’s destruction. It did On Earth Day, April 22, with a billion not seem possible to save the planet. people singing, something happened. The But then something happened: It was people of the world decided to save their the kids. planet.

At a similar moment in history, We did it for you. Now please do it leaders of the civil rights movement in for your great-great-grandchildren too.

1963 were discouraged and up against Your loving great-great-grandfatremendous odds. But then something ther, Jeff. Ω happened. Three thousand black junior high and high school students walked out of their schools to march to Birmingham, Ala., to end segregation.

Jeff vonKaenel is the president, CEO and majority Many of the brave young people in owner of the News & Review. the Children’s Crusade were arrested.

team Sn&r iS Looking for a DeSign manager Do you love SN&R? Do you enjoy managing a creative team?

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gEnErous Cuz deMarcus Cousins made an anonymous donation to pay for the funeral of slain Grant High School student athlete Jaulon Clavo. The young man was on his way to a team meeting when a car opened fire on the vehicle.

Following the events, Cousins personally reached out to the family to offer help.

if you’rE rEading this, it’s too latE After a 1-7 start, it got real in the Kings’ locker room this past week after a troubling loss to the Spurs. Rumors of mutiny began flying, most notably after Cousins reportedly cussed out coach George Karl. And then the ever-wise owner Vivek Ranadive brought pop star Drake into the locker room. … Great move, boss.

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thE spy who draKEd ME That’s right: None other than drake was in town for that loss to the Spurs. While it seemed cordial and commonplace to see the celebrity seated courtside, the Toronto rapper is a devoted Raptors fan, and the Kings would play the Raps later that week. It begs the question: Was Drake a Canuck spy hotlineblinging scouting reports back home? Seriously: Vivek let this guy in the locker room!

-6

Eff up—or triplE doublE?

Just win, baby

rajon rondo was a preseason concern, due to reports of insubordination and more coming from his former team in Dallas. So far, he’s been phenomenal in Sacramento, including posting three triple doubles in 11 games. Chris Webber holds the single season record for the Kings with five in a season, if Rondo’s stat line requires further perspective.

The Kings recovered from a six-game slide to win three straight. Officially: that’s a winning streak, baby! They’ll need that momentum going into a five game road trip. Seriously, this schedule is brutal.

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W

orld leaders from more than 190 countries will convene in Paris during the first two weeks of December for the long-awaited United Nations Climate Change Conference. Will the governments of the world finally pass a binding global treaty aimed at reducing the most dangerous impacts of global warming? Or will they fail in this task?

Letters to the Future—an SN&R-led national project involving 40-plus newspapers and media outlets across the United States—set out to find authors, artists, scientists and others willing to get creative and draft letters to future generations of their own families, predicting the success or failure of the Paris talks. And what came after.

The project drew letters from an amazing assortment of people, only a fraction of which fit in this print version. See www.letterstothefuture.org for a complete set of collected letters. Some participants were optimistic about what is to come—some not so much. We hereby present some of their visions of the future.

My eN DLeS S S ky Stephen k. Robinson

Letters to the Future Scientists, authors, activists and more predict the outcome of the upcoming U.N. climate talks in Paris

By Melinda Welsh illustrations by Don Button

16 | SN&R | 11.19.15

Dear Future Robinsons, Back around the turn of the century, flying to space was a rare human privilege, a dream come true, the stuff of movies (look it up) and an almost impossible ambition for children the world around.

But I was one of those fortunates. And what I saw from the cold, thick, protective windows of the space shuttle is something that, despite my 40 years of dreaming (I was never a young astronaut), I never remotely imagined.

Not that I was new to imagining things.

As you may know, I was somehow born with a passion for the sky, for flight, and for the mysteries of the atmosphere. I built and flew death-defying gliders, learned to fly properly, earned university degrees in the science of flight, and then spent the rest of my life exploring Earth’s atmosphere from below it, within it and above it. My hunger was never satisfied, and my love of flight never waned at all, even though it tried to kill me many times.

As I learned to fly in gliders, then small aircraft, then military jets, I always had the secure feeling that the atmosphere was the infinite “long delirious burning blue” of Magee’s poem, even though of all people, I well knew about space and its nearness. It seemed impossible to believe that with just a little more power and a little more bravery, I couldn’t continue to climb higher and higher on “laughter-silvered wings.” My life was a celebration of the infinite gift of sky, atmosphere and flight.

But what I saw in the first minutes of entering space, following that violent, lifechanging rocket-ride, shocked me.

If you look at Earth’s atmosphere from orbit, you can see it “on edge”—gazing towards the horizon, with the black of space above and the gentle curve of the yes-it’sround planet below. And what you see is the

most exquisite, luminous, delicate glow of a layered azure haze holding the Earth like an ethereal eggshell. “That’s it?!” I thought.

The entire sky—my endless sky—was only a paper-thin, blue wrapping of the planet, and looking as tentative as frost.

And this is the truth. Our Earth’s atmosphere is fragile and shockingly tiny— maybe 4 percent of the planet’s volume.

Of all the life we know about, only one species has the responsibility to protect that precious blue planet-wrap. I hope we did, and I hope you do.

Your ancestor, Stephen K. Robinson After 36 years as an astronaut—with a tenure that included four shuttle missions and three spacewalks—Robinson retired from NASA in 2012. He is now a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UC Davis.

B Rie F OPPORTU N iTieS Jane Smiley Dear Great-Great-Granddaughter, Do you remember your grandmother Veronica? I am writing to you on the very day that your grandmother Veronica turned 7 months old—she is my first grandchild, and she is your grandmother. That is how quickly time passes and people are born, grow up, and pass on. When I was your age—now 20 (Veronica was my age, 65, when you were born), I did not realize how brief our opportunities are to change the direction of the world we live in. The world you live in grew out of the world I live in, and I want to tell you a little bit about the major difficulties of my world and how they have affected your world.

On the day I am writing this letter, the Speaker of the House of Representatives quit his job because his party—called “the Republicans,” refused absolutely to work

with or compromise with the other party, now defunct, called “the Democrats.” The refusal of the Republicans to work with the Democrats was what led to the government collapse in 2025, and the breakup of what to you is the Former United States. The states that refused to acknowledge climate change or, indeed, science, became the Republic of America, and the other states became West America and East America. I lived in West America.

You probably live in East America, because West America became unlivable owing to climate change in 2050.

That the world was getting hotter and dryer, that weather was getting more chaotic, and that humans were getting too numerous for the ecosystem to support was evident to most Americans by the time I was 45, the age your mother is now. At first, it did seem as though all Americans were willing to do something about it, but then the oil companies (with names like Exxon and Mobil and Shell) realized that their profits were at risk, and they dug in their heels. They underwrote all sorts of government corruption in order to deny climate change and transfer as much carbon dioxide out of the ground and into the air as they could. The worse the weather and the climate became the more they refused to budge, and Americans, but also the citizens of other countries, kept using coal, diesel fuel and gasoline. Transportation was the hardest thing to give up, much harder than giving up the future, and so we did not give it up, and so there you are, stuck in the slender strip of East America that is overpopulated, but livable. I am sure you are a vegan, because there is no room for cattle, hogs or chickens, which Americans used to eat.

West America was once a beautiful place—not the parched desert landscape that it is now. Our mountains were green with oaks and pines, mountain lions and coyotes and deer roamed in the shadows, and there were beautiful flowers

nestled in the grass. It was sometimes hot, but often cool.

Where you see abandoned, flooded cities, we saw smooth beaches and easy waves.

What is the greatest loss we have bequeathed you? I think it is the debris, the junk, the rotting bits of clothing, equipment, vehicles, buildings, etc. that you see everywhere and must avoid. Where we went for walks, you always have to keep an eye out. We have left you a mess. But I know that it is dangerous for you to go for walks—the human body wasn’t built to tolerate lows of 90 degrees Fahrenheit and highs of 140. When I was alive, I thought I was trying to save you, but I didn’t try hard enough, or at least, I didn’t try to save you as hard as my opponents tried to destroy you. I don’t know why they did that. I could never figure that out.

Sadly, Great-Great-Grandma Jane Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992 for her novel A Thousand Acres, Smiley has composed numerous novels and works of nonfiction.

“O f all the life we k now abou t , only one species ha s the r esponsibili t y to pr otec t that pr ecious blue

Sorry about that

planet-wr ap.”

Stephen K. Robinson astronaut

t.C. boyle Dear Rats of the Future: Congratulations on your bipedalism: it’s always nice to be able to stand tall when you need it, no? And great on losing that tail too (just as we lost ours). No need for that awkward (and let’s face it: ugly) kind of balancing tool when you walk upright, plus it makes fitting into your blue jeans a whole lot easier. Do you wear blue jeans—or their equivalent? No need, really, I suppose, since you’ve no doubt retained your body hair. Well, good for you.

“LEttEr S to thE F u tu rE”

continued on page 18

11.19.15 | SN&R | 17

“LETTE RS TO T H E F U T U R E ”

continued from page 17

Source: UNFCCC, IPCC, New York Times

Sorry about the plastics. And the radiation. And the pesticides. I really regret that you won’t be hearing any birdsong anytime soon, either, but at least you’ve got that wonderful musical cawing of the crows to keep your mornings bright. And, of course, I do expect that as you’ve grown in stature and brainpower you’ve learned to deal with the feral cats, your one-time nemesis, but at best occupying a kind of ratty niche in your era of ascendancy. As for the big cats—the really scary ones, tiger, lion, leopard, jaguar—they must be as remote to you as the mammoths were to us. It goes without saying that with the extinction of the bears (polar bears: they were a pretty silly development anyway, and of no use to anybody beyond maybe trophy hunters) and any other large carnivores, there’s nothing much left to threaten you as you feed and breed and find your place as the dominant mammals on earth. (I do expect that the hyenas would have been something of a nasty holdout, but as you developed weapons, I’m sure you would have dispatched them eventually.)

Apologies too about the oceans, and I know this must have been particularly hard on you since you’ve always been a seafaring

18 | SN&R | 11.19.15

race, but since you’re primarily vegetarian, I don’t imagine that the extinction of fish would have much affected you. And if, out of some nostalgia for the sea that can’t be fully satisfied by whatever hardtack may have survived us, try jellyfish. They’ll be about the only thing out there now, but I’m told they can be quite palatable, if not exactly mouth-watering, when prepared with sage and onions. Do you have sage and onions? But forgive me: of course you do.

You’re an agrarian tribe at heart, though in our day we certainly did introduce you to city life, didn’t we? Bright lights, big city, right? At least you don’t have to worry about abattoirs, piggeries, feed lots, bovine intestinal gases and the like—or, for that matter, the ozone layer, which would have been long gone by the time you started walking on two legs. Does that bother you? The UV rays, I mean? But no, you’re a nocturnal tribe anyway, right?

Anyway, I just want to wish you all the best in your endeavors on this big blind rock hurtling through space. My advice? Stay out of the laboratory. Live simply. And, whatever you do, please—I beg you—don’t start up a stock exchange.

With Best Wishes, T.C. Boyle

19 8 8

19 9 2

Prominent scientists testify for the first time before U.S. Congress about dangers of global warming.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forms to gather and assess evidence.

In Rio de Janeiro, IPCC agrees a United Nations framework is needed to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.

P.S. In writing you this missive, I am, I suppose, being guardedly optimistic that you will have figured out how to decode this ape language I’m employing here— especially given the vast libraries we left you when the last of us breathed his last.

A novelist and short story writer, Boyle has published 14 novels and more than 100 short stories.

IncRE dIb LE pEOpLE Annie Leonard It’s hard to imagine writing to the granddaughter of my own daughter, but if you’re anything like her—strong, smart, occasionally a little stubborn—then I have no doubt the world is in good hands.

By now your school should have taught you about climate change, and how humans helped to bring it about with our big cars, big homes, big appetites and an endless desire for more stuff. But what the teachers and textbooks may not have passed on are the stories of incredible people that helped make sure the planet remained beautiful and livable for you.

These are stories of everyday people doing courageous things, because they

DECEMBER

FEBRUARY

2 0 01

2005

The world’s governments gather in Kyoto, Japan, to negotiate a treaty to curb global warming. The United States never ratifies the treaty. A developing nation, China, was never bound by the treaty.

The Third IPCC reports that global warming will likely cause unprecedented sea level rise, extreme weather events and grave consequences for humanity. A few months into the next year comes a dramatic collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf in Antarctica.

Hurricane Katrina hits the Gulf Coast. This and other severe weather events spur debate over impact of global warming.

U.N. parties continue negotiations toward global carbon reductions.

19 9 7

AUGUST

couldn’t stand by and watch communities be poisoned by pollution, the Arctic melt or California die of fire and drought. They couldn’t bear to think of New Orleans underwater again, or New York lost to a superstorm. Right now, as politicians weigh up options and opinion polls, people are organizing and uprising. It’s amazing to see and be a part of.

In the year that led up to the 2015 meeting of global leaders on climate change in Paris, kayakers took to the water to stop oil rigs. Nurses, musicians, grannies, preachers and even beekeepers took to the streets.

The message was loud and clear: “We want clean, safe, renewable energy now!”

Were it not for this glorious rainbow of people power, I don’t know whether President Obama would have stepped up and canceled oil drilling in the Alaskan Arctic or the sale of 10 billion tons of American coal that were set to tip the planet towards climate chaos. But he did.

This paved the way for an era of unprecedented innovation, as entrepreneurs and academics fine-tuned the best ways to harness the unlimited power of our wind, waves and sun, and make it available to everyone. We’ve just seen the first ever oceanic crossing by a solar plane and I

M AY

2006

2006

20 07

China overtakes An Inconvenient Congress stalls on the climate, America as world’s Truth, the film leaving state largest greenhouse version of former gas emitter. NASA Vice President Al governments to lead the charge. finds Greenland and Gore’s lectures on California passes Antarctic ice sheets climate change, is the Global and Arctic Ocean released and Warming sea-ice cover eventually wins Solutions Act and shrinking faster multiple Oscars. soon leads the than expected.

Climate science nation in energy efficiency Fourth IPCC report enters into standards and warns of more popular regulation of evidence of consciousness but emissions. warming.

Gore and political the IPCC win joint polarization Nobel Peace Prize mounts. for climate work.

“ Inspir ation and uplif ting idea s need to be gather ed fr om all ar ea s of life . Fear less ques tioning is par amount .”

David Harrington violinist, Kronos Quartet

2009

2 0 11

2 0 13

Many experts warn that global warming is arriving at a faster, more dangerous pace than expected.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Framework Climate Change Conference talks in Copenhagen, held in the midst of global recession, fail to negotiate binding emissions agreements.

UNFCCC meets in Durban, South Africa, and parties agree to work on a new and universal agreement involving all countries, not just wealthy ones, to join in combating global warming. This accord is to be negotiated in Paris.

Mean global temperature at warmest in thousands of years; concentration of carbon in the atmosphere reaches 397 parts per million, highest it's been in millennia.

Scientists and politicians become bolder in connecting increased extreme weather events and climate change.

can only imagine what incredible inventions have grown in your time from the seeds planted in this energy revolution we’re experiencing right now.

I want to tell you about this because there was a time we didn’t think any of it was possible. And there may be times when you face similar challenges. Generations before you have taken acts of great courage to make sure you too have all the joys and gifts of the natural world—hiking in forests, swimming in clean water, breathing fresh air. If you need to be a little stubborn to make sure things stay that way, so be it.

Onwards!

Annie Currently the Executive Director of Greenpeace USA, Leonard made the 2007 film The Story of Stuff, which has been viewed more than 40 million times.

S e ize th e mom e nt Bill mcKibben Dear Descendants, The first thing to say is, sorry. We were the last generation to know the world before full-on climate change made it a treacherous place. That we didn’t get sooner to work

SEPTEMBER

2 0 14

Global rallies are held in 2,000 locations across the world demanding urgent action on climate change.

Hundreds of thousands of people gather and continue a call for action.

NOVEMBER

M AY

2 0 14

2 0 15

In an unexpected political breakthrough, China and the United States, which together produce nearly half of global carbon dioxide emissions, jointly announce future reduction plans.

Pope Francis releases unprecedented papal encyclical wherein he calls for urgent action on climate change. Two more populous countries—Brazil and India—make pre-Paris commitments to decrease emissions.

slowing it down is our great shame, and you live with the unavoidable consequences.

That said, I hope that we made at least some difference. There were many milestones in the fight—Rio, Kyoto, the debacle at Copenhagen. By the time the great Paris climate conference of 2015 rolled around, many of us were inclined to cynicism.

And our cynicism was well-taken. The delegates to that convention, representing governments that were still unwilling to take more than baby steps, didn’t really grasp the nettle. They looked for easy, around-theedges fixes, ones that wouldn’t unduly alarm their patrons in the fossil fuel industry.

But so many others seized the moment that Paris offered to do the truly important thing: Organize. There were meetings and marches, disruptions and disobedience. And we came out of it more committed than ever to taking on the real power that be.

The real changes flowed in the months and years past Paris, when people made sure that their institutions pulled money from oil and coal stocks, and when they literally sat down in the way of the coal trains and the oil pipelines. People did the work governments wouldn’t—and as they weakened the fossil fuel industry, political leaders grew ever so slowly bolder.

DECEMBER

2 0 15

The world’s governments convene in Paris to attempt negotiation of a unified, global accord and to put architecture in place to save humanity from the worst outcomes of climate change.

We learned a lot that year about where power lay: less in the words of weak treaties than in the zeitgeist we could create with our passion, our spirit and our creativity.

Would that we had done it sooner!

Author, educator and environmentalist, McKibben is co-founder of 350.org, a planet-wide grassroots climate change movement.

For my children nitanju Bolade casel As we move toward the 2015 U.N. climate talks in Paris, my prayers are for you, your children and your children’s children’s children. May the outcome be in your favor; for your future. I pray that you will be blessed not only with a better world than we have today, but also the courageous wisdom to nurture and respect all living things. It is a privilege to inhabit the Earth, a gift we share with all other forms of Life.

I pray that you will honor and protect this special treasure. I pray that you will see yourselves in one another, understand that we are all connected and move forward with love for humankind; for all living things. And although we have not always

“letterS to the FUtUre”

continued on page 21

11.19.15 | SN&R | 19

BUILDING A

HEALTHY S A C R A M E N T O

Changing Records, Changing Lives Prop. 47 gives people a second chance

BY K AT E G O N Z A L E S

T

“I think you should give people a second chance,” Koster says. “A real second chance.”

hings have been looking up for Martell Koster. After years of temp work, he has landed a full-time job, purchased a home and is getting ready to have a second child.

Koster says his permanent, full-time job will allow him to provide for his family and give back to the community. Always Knocking Inc., a Sacramento nonprofit that provides wraparound services to families, has helped spread the word about the positive community impacts of Prop. 47.

The 32-year-old credits Proposition 47 — which reduces certain nonviolent offenses from felonies to misdemeanors on a case-by-case basis — with giving him the chance to take steps toward a brighter future.

“I WANT TO BE A PRODUCTIVE MEMBER OF SOCIETY.” Martell Koster, Reclassified under Prop. 47

“For the last five years, I’ve been fighting to get a real job,” Koster says. “I want to be a productive member of society.”

Since California voters passed Prop.

47 in November 2014, thousands of people statewide have had their felony convictions reclassified to misdemeanors, opening up eligibility for benefits like Section 8 housing and reducing barriers to employment.

Gregory King, CEO and founder of Always Knocking, says the organization has helped nearly 1,000 Sacramento residents apply for reclassification.

On Nov. 4, Always Knocking hosted a celebration of the one-year anniversary of the passing of Prop. 47. Sponsored by The California Endowment, which supported Prop. 47, the event featured stakeholders like Sacramento County’s Office of the Public Defender, as well as stories from community members who have directly benefited from reclassification.

King praises the law any chance he gets for “changing records, changing lives.” Always Knocking will continue to help community members apply for reclassification during its Sacramento Inner City Tour. The deadline to apply for reclassification is Nov. 4, 2017.

SACRAMENTO INNER CITY TOUR DATES Need help reclassifying your records?

Come to these events:

South Sacramento

Saturday, Nov. 21 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

South Sacramento Christian Center 7710 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento

Del Paso Heights

Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Roberts Family Development Center 766 Darina Ave., Sacramento

Oak Park

Saturday, June 25, 2016 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Oak Park Community Center 3415 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Sacramento

For assistance filling out a Prop.

47 application, contact Chief Assistant Public Defender Karen M. Flynn at (916) 874-5732.

PAID WITH A GRANT FROM THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT SN&R | 11.19.15

Martell Koster, 32, is one of thousands of Californians whose felony convictions have been reclassified as misdemeanors under Prop. 47.

Photo by Anne Stokes

Saturday, May 21, 2016 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Unity Church 9249 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento

Health Happens in Neighborhoods. Health Happens in Schools.

Health Happens with Prevention.

|

In 2010, The California Endowment launched a 10-year, $1 billion plan to improve the health of 14 challenged communities across the state. Over the 10 years, residents, community-based organizations and public institutions will work together to address the socioeconomic and environmental challenges contributing to the poor health of their communities.

Rancho Cordova

Your ZIP code shouldn’t predict how long you’ll live – but it does. Staying healthy requires much more than doctors and diets. Every day, our surroundings and activities affect how long – and how well – we’ll live.

20

BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

www.SacBHC.org

“lette RS to t H e f U t U R e ”

continued from page 19

been kind, you can begin. Be kind. Humanity has repeatedly moved against itself toward destruction throughout history, rarely seeming to learn from past mistakes. Learn.

Please know that there were also visionaries who worked endlessly for positive changes in this world—changes to benefit the many, not just the few; you may have to do the same. Work.

And remember to pray for your children’s children’s children. Your prayers will be waiting for them when they arrive. … Pray.

Bolade Casel is a singer in the Grammy Awardwinning troupe Sweet Honey in the Rock, an all-woman, African-American a cappella ensemble. Letters from the group’s other singers—Carol Maillard, Louise Robinson and Aisha Kahlil—can be found at www.letterstothe future.org

Rock , ice , aiR an d wate R Pam Houston Dear Future Inhabitants of the Earth, I was speaking with an environmental scientist friend of mine not too long ago and he said he felt extremely grim about the fate of the earth in the 100-year frame, but quite optimistic about it in the 500-year frame. “There won’t be many people left,” he said, “but the ones who are here will have learned a lot.” I have been taking comfort, since then, in his words.

If you are reading this letter, you are one of the learners, and I am grateful to you in advance. And I’m sorry.

For my generation. For our ignorance, our shortsightedness, our capacity for denial, our unwillingness or inability to stand up to the oil and gas companies who have bought our wilderness, our airwaves, our governments. It must seem to you that we were dense beyond comprehension, but some of us knew, for decades, that our carbon-driven period would be looked back on as the most barbaric, the most irresponsible age in history.

Part of me wishes there was a way for me to know what the earth is like in your time, and part of me is afraid to know how far down we took this magnificent sphere, this miracle of rock and ice and air and water.

Should I tell you about the polar bears, great white creatures that hunted seals among the icebergs; should I tell you about the orcas? To be in a kayak, with a pod of orcas coming towards you, to see the big male’s fin rise in its impossible geometry, 6 feet high and black as night, to hear the blast of whale breath, to smell its fishy tang—I tell you, it was enough to make a person believe she had led a satisfying life.

I know it is too much to wish for you: polar bears and orcas. But maybe you still have elk bugling at dawn on a September morning, and red-tailed hawks crying to their mates from the tops of ponderosa pines.

Whatever wonders you have, you will owe to those about to gather in Paris to talk about ways we might reimagine ourselves as one strand in the fabric that is this biosphere, rather than its mindless devourer.

E.O. Wilson says as long as there are microbes, the Earth can recover—another small measure of comfort.

Even now, evidence of the Earth’s ability to heal herself is all around us—a daily astonishment. What a joy it would be to live in a time when the healing was allowed to outrun

the destruction. More than anything else that is what I wish for you.

With hope, Pam Houston Author of short stories, novels and essays, Houston wrote the acclaimed Cowboys are my Weakness, winner of the 1993 Western States Book Award.

“ Humani t y ha s r epeatedly moved agains t i t self

tH e c alifoRn ia e x am Ple state Sen. kevin de león When the iPhone (remember those?) and its contemporaries first took the world of electronic communication by storm, smartphones were a luxury—only the affluent and tech-savvy could enjoy the convenience these technologies offered. Now, as I write, smartphones are ubiquitous. We take for granted what only a short time ago was revolutionary.

I hope that by the time you read this, our energy systems have experienced a similar revolution. I hope that smokestacks and suffocating smog are relics of a long gone past. I hope that no matter where you live, or where you fall on the economic ladder, you can take clean air and a healthy environment for granted. Countless dedicated individuals are working tirelessly to secure that right for you.

We understand what’s at stake. Extreme weather is already changing the world as we know it; drought, flooding, extreme heat and sea-level rise are altering the face of our planet and wreaking havoc on society. The economic costs of climate change are mounting, and there is overwhelming consensus in the global scientific community that the toll will only rise the longer we wait to take decisive action.

“letteRS to tHe fUt U Re”

towar d des tr uc tion thr oughou t his tor y ; r ar ely seeming to lear n fr om pa s t mis t akes . Lear n .”

Nitanju Bolade Casel singer, Sweet Honey in the Rock

continued on page 22

11.19.15 | SN&R | 21

See more l e t t e r S at www.letterstothefuture.org

Ge r aldin e B rooks 2006 Pulitzer Prize winner for Fiction

Tom Hayde n Lifelong activist and former state legislator

ai s Ha k aH li l , C arol mai ll ard, lou i s e roB in son

“leTTers T o THe FuT u re”

You would be proud to know that California is leading the way. A remarkable coalition of forward-thinking businesses, national and international world leaders, and prize-winners in science and technology are all united in support of aggressive climate action. Californians of all stripes rallied behind my bill, Senate Bill 350, to make clean power the mainstream for our state. The families living beside the freeways, refineries, factories, and in the fields, whose voices are rarely heard— whose quiet struggles are the reason I ran for office—were finally given a public forum to talk about the consequences they suffer as a result of our continued dependence on fossil fuels.

Together, we enshrined historic standards that double energy efficiency in all buildings and require half the electricity in the largest state in the union to be generated from renewable sources by 2030. Along with our existing laws supporting clean air and renewable energy, SB 350 lays the groundwork for a more equitable and sustainable future for California.

As world leaders gather in Paris later this year to negotiate a global treaty, they will have the California example to guide them. We are demonstrating how one of the great economies of the world can cut greenhouse gas emissions, promote new industries that bring clean, affordable power to our energy grid, and create good-paying jobs.

This fight is larger than me, larger than any industry, state or nation. It’s about you and the future of your family. It’s about protecting your right to a healthy and livable planet. I hope—for your sake—that we prevail.

President pro tempore of the California State Senate, de León is the highest-ranking Latino politician in the state and a key leader in its effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Singers in Grammy Award winning a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock

u. s . s e n . Harry re id United States Senator from Nevada

J u diTH re dmon d Local, sustainable organic farmer

rH e a s u H President, Natural Resources Defense Council

B re nT Bou rG eoi s Rock musician, songwriter and producer

naTa s Ha von k ae n e l Writer, recent graduate of UC Berkeley

s e n . loi s Wolk Member of the California legislature (D-Davis) since 2002

J i m HiG HToWe r National radio commentator and New York Times best-selling author.

Tamar a CH es H ire Adjunct professor of anthropology and Native American studies at Sacramento City College and Sacramento State

m iC Hae l P oll an A teacher, author and speaker on food and the environment

22 | SN&R | 11.19.15

continued from page 21

“ Sor r y abou t the pla s tics . a nd the r adiation . a nd the pes ticides . I r eally r egr et that you won’ t be hear ing any bir dsong any time soon .”

T.C. Boyle novelist

ou r B esT aCHie ve m enT kim stanley robinson Dear Great-Great-Grandchildren, I’ve been worried about you for a long time. For years it’s seemed like all I could say to you was, “Sorry, we torched the planet and now you have to live like saints.” Not a happy message. But recently I’ve seen signs that we might give you a better result. At this moment the issue is still in doubt. But a good path leading from me to you can be discerned.

It was crucial that we recognized the problem, because otherwise we wouldn’t have acted as we did. A stupendous effort by the global scientific community alerted us to the fact that, by dumping carbon into the air and disrupting biosphere processes in many other ways, we were creating a toxic combination that was going to wreak havoc on all Earth’s living creatures, including us. When we learned that, we tried to change.

Our damaging impact was caused by a combination of the sheer number of people, the types of technologies we used and how much we consumed. We had to change in each area, and we did. We invented cleaner technologies to replace dirtier ones; this turned out to be the easiest part. When it came to population growth, we saw that wherever women had full education and strong legal rights, population growth stopped and the number of humans stabilized; thus justice was both good in itself and good for the planet.

The third aspect of the problem, our consumption levels, depended on our values, which are always encoded in our economic system. Capitalism was wrecking the biosphere and people’s lives to the perceived benefit of very few; so we changed it. We charged ourselves the proper price for burning

carbon; we enacted a progressive tax on all capital assets as well as incomes. With that money newly released to positive work, we paid ourselves a living wage to do ecological restoration, to feed ourselves and to maintain the biosphere we knew you were going to need.

Those changes taken all together mean you live in a postcapitalist world: Congratulations. I’m sure you are happier for it. Creating that new economic system was how we managed to dodge disaster and give you a healthy Earth. It was our best achievement, and because of it, we can look you in the eye and say, “Enjoy it, care for it, pass it on.”

A writer of speculative science fiction and winner of the Nebula and Hugo awards, Robinson has published 19 novels including the award-winning Mars trilogy.

The hom e office Donnell Alexander Good day, my beautiful bounty. It probably feels redundant to someone rockin’ in 2070, a year that’s gotta be wavy in ways I can’t imagine, but …

Your great, great-grandpappy is old school.

And when my old-school ass thinks about how the backdrop to your existence changed when the Paris climate talks failed, it harkens to the late-20th century rap duo Eric B. & Rakim. Music is forever. Probably, it sounds crazy that the musical idiom best known in your time as the foundation of the worldwide cough syrup industry could ever have imparted anything enlightening. You can look it up though—before the Telecommunications Act of ’96 such transformations happened not infrequently.

But that’s another letter. MC Rakim had this scrap of lyric from “Teach the Children”—a pro-environment slapper that hit the atmosphere closer to Valdez newspaper headline days than when the Web gave us pictures of death smoke plumes taking rise above Iraq. For you, these are abstract epochs. Alaska still had permafrost, the formerly frozen soil that kept methane safely underground. The domino that fell, permafrost. And I could tell you that humans skied Earth’s mountains. Yes, I know: Snow. An antique reference, no question.

That Rakim verse. It went: Teach the children, save the nation I see the destruction, the situation They’re corrupt, and their time’s up soon But they’ll blow it up and prepare life on the moon My bounty, it’s easy to Monday morning quarterback* from my 2015 vantage point. But I did not do an adequate job of teaching the children about what our corporate overlords had in store for them. Didn’t do it with Exxon or Volkswagen. Didn’t do it when Rakim initially sold me on the premise. And to be honest I haven’t done a bunch of it this year, as sinkholes form and trees fall in parts of the Arctic that Mother Earth could only ever imagined frozen solid.

Make no mistake, I want these words to function as much as a godspeed note as one of confession. Good luck with your new methane-dictated normal, and the sonic pollution and spiritual upset of those executive flights to colonized Mars. Or, as the President calls that planet, the Home Office.

Conditions should have never come to this though. And we’ll always have Paris, to remind us of what might have been.

Grandpappy Donnell *The NFL will be around forever, like herpes.

A former staff writer for ESPN The Magazine, the LA Weekly and freelancer for other publications, Alexander wrote the memoir Ghetto Celebrity.

Som e Th ing preciou S David harrington When we hold something that is very precious, the only one of its kind—a baby, an heirloom from a beloved ancestor, a grandchild’s painting—we take care of it, we cherish it and ensure that it is safe. This is a human trait. Earth is our collective heirloom “borrowed from our children.” Many elders have forgotten the fragility of our singular planet, with its wildly generous teeming nature now unsafe in a teetering balance. The elders have much to learn. I am an elder.

Learning is renewal.

Let’s step back for a moment and recall the words of Eugene Cernan, commander of the Apollo 17 mission: “You have to literally just pinch yourself and ask yourself the question silently: Do you really know where you are at this point in time and space, and in reality and in existence? When you look out the window and you’re looking back at the most beautiful star in the heavens—the most beautiful because it’s the one we understand and we know it. … We’re home.

It’s humanity; it’s people, family, love, life. And besides that it is beautiful. You see from pole to pole and across oceans and continents. You can watch it turn, and there’s no strings holding it up. And it’s moving in a blackness that is almost beyond conception.”

When our Earth is seen from this perspective, Cernan’s observations become like a prayer or an invocation to the powers we must immediately harness in order to surmount the devastating abyss humanity has allowed free reign. Now with each decision, each action we make, with every learning opportunity and new discovery, we must gain more of the energy, strength and wisdom needed to create a counterbalance to the immense environmental destruction we have wrought on our Earth. We desperately need the most nimble imaginations, the most flexible of visionaries, people at ease with the tools to solve some of the nastiest, seemingly impossible problems ever confronted.

Our schools and teachers have to unleash and empower the creative fire of all students. A worldwide community of objectors must rise up. All those who object to the unsurvivable situation humanity faces must mobilize every available resource to circumvent dire shortsightedness. Our global society must grow a new conscience. Students will teach the elders. Together we must vault beyond the ignorance, greed and bad decisions of the past.

Let’s also remember that so often explorations in the arts have fueled discoveries in the sciences. Inspiration and uplifting ideas need to be gathered from all areas of life.

Fearless questioning is paramount. People who can see things in different, alternate and unusual perspectives are needed more than ever. We need a huge splash of ice-cold water on our tired, lethargic faces. It’s time to change the face of reality.

The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference will be a giant leap for mankind if the momentum of this small step propels us to reinvent our path forward.

Violinist and artistic director of the Kronos Quartet, Harrington founded the contemporary-classical string quartet. Ω

11.19.15 | SN&R | 23

illustrations by

hayley doshay

seasons sN&R wRiteRs Raise a glass to the upcomiNg holiday seasoN

T

he holidays don’t officially kick off for another seven days but, to be honest, our anxiety level ratcheted up weeks ago at the thought of all those family get-togethers, office parties and crowded shopping malls.

So. Much.

Togetherness. So. Much.

Cheer.

Take a deep breath and relax. For every Secret Santa gift exchange, neighborhood potluck and fuzzy red elf hat-required pub crawl, we’ve got the antidote.

Whether your jam is Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, winter solstice, New Year’s Eve, Boxing Day or Netflix and chill, SN&R’s writers have scoured the city (and their kitchen cabinets) for 12 worthy drinks.

Some are super-boozy.

Some masquerade (thankfully) as desserts and a few are designated driverfriendly. There are even a couple of recipes for when you’re too broke (or cold, or lazy, or whatever) to venture outside.

Think of it as your holiday survival guide.

Cheers!

Easy MarTha sTEwarT poinTs Hot mu l l ed Ba r s ot t i ’ s a p p l e ci d er Set a pot of Barsotti’s apple cider to warm on your stovetop before a holiday gathering. (Buy it at Apple Hill or grab some at Raley’s.) Add cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and a couple of anise pods. Tie the spices in cheesecloth if you’re the Martha Stewart type, or just throw them in and trust your guests to deal. Slice an orange and float the pretty citrus discs on top. Set out cups and a bottle of brandy, so guests can serve themselves and spike their drinks as needed. Now your first round of cocktails is ready to go and your house smells like a winter wonderland.

You are officially the host with the most. www.barsottijuice.com. B.C.

shopping fuEl

no prETEnsE

peppermint Hot cHocolate.

GinGer elizaBetH cHocolates

t e a a n d sy m pat H y, z e l d a ’ s Gourmet pizza

Skip the Swiss Miss and head straight for Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates for the best hot chocolate in town. Their peppermint hot chocolate ($5)—available after Thanksgiving—will be a rich blend of semisweet chocolate, organic milk and local mint from West Sacramento’s Del Rio Botanical.

Gilding the lily is fresh whipped cream and Valrhona chocolate pearls on top.

If you have a long day of shopping ahead, ask for a shot of coffee mixed in. You’ll be buying a local product that’s 10 times better than that chain store red-cupped Frappuccino. Plus, you can get fleur de sel caramels while you’re there. 1801 L Street, https://gingerelizabeth.com. AMR

Enough with artisanal, 17-ingredient, $10 cocktails served in Mason jars to keep it real. You really want to keep it real? Go to Zelda’s, where the winter drink menu likely hasn’t changed since the last millennium, and order some tea and sympathy ($6.50). It’s a shot of Grand Mariner, hot water and a teabag. No, the tea’s not handpicked, fair trade African honeybush. It’s Lipton, garnished with a lemon wedge and two teensy plastic straws. Sip it in the cozy warmth of the pizza oven and the knowledge that cocktails don’t have to be pretentious to be comforting.

1415 21st Street, www.zeldas gourmetpizza.com. B.C.

Blow iT up, shakE iT off car BomB, Broderic k midtow n

Morning BEEr

This is no ordinary Car Bomb.

It’s a Car Bomb milkshake ($13), but even better. Being East Coastinfluenced, Broderick Roadhouse subs out ice cream for frozen custard. That means its shakes are denser, creamier and richer with bonus egg yolks. The chocolate custard blended with Guinness and Jameson works, perhaps too well. The boozy bite is subtle, but definitely apparent, and the texture absolutely luxurious. It would be wise to split with a friend, as it arrives in a 20-ounce beer mug topped with whipped cream. Then again, if the holidays are not the time to splurge on this monstrous dessert-cocktail, when should you? 1820 L Street, www.broderick1893.com. J.B.

hurTs so good

cHo co l at e Fi s H ni t r o c oFFee, Ho o k & la d d er ma nu Fact u r i nG co.

Harvey milk puncH, red raBBit

24 | SN&R | 11.19.15

There are two very specific types of people who should immediately take an interest in Hook & Ladder’s Nitro Coffee ($4.25): chemists and coffee lovers. The drink looks like a glass of thick stout, but there isn’t a drop of alcohol in it, just good old coffee—made with nitrogen. That creamy fizz on the top will shout “beer” to your brain. The taste lands somewhere between an iced coffee and a dark cold draft brew. It’s made from espresso beans, so its kick is probably stronger than that Starbucks you drank this morning.

1630 S Street, www.hookand ladder916.com. A.C.

Yes. We know. We’ve told you about the Harvey Milk Punch ($9) before. Multiple times. Somewhat recently. But we can’t have a list of holiday cocktails without it—it’s Sacramento’s quintessential wintry drink for all the right reasons. With aged rum, brandy and Galliano liquor, this milk punch is sort of like a vanilla-anise, oaky eggnog, but not too heavy or sweet. Need more? It’s comforting, creamy and topped with freshly grated nutmeg, for chrissakes! 2718 J Street, http://theredrabbit.net. J.B.

A better pizzA See off menu

29

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30

forget Jeff KoonS See CooLhunting

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get KiDnAppeD, get An oSCAr? See 15 minuteS

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drinkings

by J a n e l l e B i t k e r , a a r o n C a r n e s , B e C C a C o s t e l l o , a n n M a r t i n r o l k e

Liquid courage hard nuT, GoLdfieLd TradinG PosT At some point during the holidays, almost everyone needs a little liquid courage. When that happens, sidle up to the bar at Goldfield Trading Post and order a Hard Nut ($8).

A simple concoction of 100-proof Old Forester bourbon and Nocello walnut liqueur, it’s served neat to get straight to the point. The liqueur adds a nutty sweetness to balance the fiery whiskey. When family gets a little too cozy, make a quick “errand run” and throw back a shot of this. You’ll be back before they know it. 1630 J Street, http://goldfieldtradingpost.com. AMR

smoke ‘em if you got ‘em

red raBBit’s Harvey Milk PunCH is saCraMento’s quintessential wintry drink for all tHe rigHt reasons.

smokinG JaC k eT, G r a nG e resTau r a nT & Ba r The Smoking Jacket ($19) at the Grange is a classy drink, and it serves two, so be sure to bring a date. The server brings a bottle partway filled with brandy, and filled out with a thick hickory smoke that looks like someone exhaled a drag of their cigarette into the bottle. Here’s how it goes down: The servers lays down two drinking glasses filled with dried apricots, lemon rinds, ice and other delicacies. After pouring you and your date some brandy, the flavors pop out. It’s sweet, sharp and warm, and that tangy hickory smoke pervades your taste buds in the best way possible. 926 J Street, www.grangesacramento.com. A.C.

Like the Brits do T he L o nd o n

start the day (or night) right day Wa Lke r, BoT T Le & BarLoW With a spirit-driven flavor profile, the Day Walker ($12) warms up your insides in more than one way. Served hot, Bottle & Barlow’s spin on a hot buttered rum gives off the aroma of rooibos tea. That’s accented by herby Averna liqueur, peppermint and a little honey. A thin layer of melted butter rises to the top and leaves your lips slick and delicious after every sip.

But unlike most hot buttered rums, the Day Walker is strong and light on sweetness. Go in wanting a mug of scotch, amplified and perfected for chilly nights. 1120 R Street, http://bottleandbarlow.com. J.B.

Like a Manhattan, but with a touch of tea liqueur for a British bent. Start a batch of the liqueur now to serve these in December.

1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water to a simmer. Let it cool.

Combine 1 and 1/2 cups good vodka and 2 teaspoons Lady Grey tea leaves in a measuring cup and steep for 24 hours. Strain out the tea and stir in about 1/4 cup sugar syrup. Taste and adjust if needed; pour the alcohol into a bottle. Let it sit in a cool place to mature for one week.

To make a drink: In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine 2 ounces whiskey, 1 ounce tea liqueur, 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth and 4 drops orange bitters. Shake and strain them into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist. AMR

Like pie, in a gLass Curious GeorGe, BLoCk BuTCher Bar The newest cocktail at the Block sounds a little—ahem—curious at first, but the Curious George ($12) has all the makings for your next cold weather staple. Normally, I’m not so into banana, but it totally works here in a maplesweetened coconut-banana cream.

That gets shaken up with scotch, rum, amaretto and grapefruit, and topped with frothy egg white and grated nutmeg. The result boasts a rich mouthfeel and subtle sweetness, with a long, nuanced finish. And the garnish might be the king of all garnishes: a glossy, bruleed chunk of banana, holding a sprinkle of coarse salt. Bite the banana, feel the caramelized side crack and take a sip. Brilliant.

1050 20th Street, http://block butcherbar.com. J.B.

earn some hoLiday cred V iC ’ s Caf e a f f o GaTo, V iC ’ s Caf e When you can’t decide between breakfast and dessert, choose a Vic’s Cafe affogato ($4).

This simply brilliant combo of espresso poured over ice cream gains holiday cred when you ask for eggnog or peppermint ice cream. Italian for “drowned,” affogato forms a little floating island of ice cream amidst the bitter hot coffee. Start on the cafe side, where you get your cup, then go next door for the ice cream of your choice (prices vary) before pouring the espresso on top. Prego!

3193 Riverside Boulevard, http://cafevics.com. AMR

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ALLE Y K AT Z PRESENTS

BOTH LOCATIONS SAT. NOV 21 | 6PM

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SN&R | 11.19.15

2019 O STREET MIDTOWN 916.442.2682

7942 ARCADIA DRIVE CITRUS HEIGHTS 916.722.2682

For the week oF NoVeMBer 19

harvest Festival FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, THROUGH SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22

O f CrOC kP OTs A n d m e lTi n g P OTs Ah, Thanksgiving:

that time of year we gather our family ’round, try to ignore the “I’m not necessarily a Trump supporter, but …” nonsense coming out of Uncle Joe’s mouth, and drink and eat ourselves into a stupor in honor of some whack origin myths about that one time some old white guys in buckled shoes took a break from spreading smallpox to Native Americans in order to eat some food given to them by said Native Americans. Also, football.

For those looking to step outside the honor-thy-colonialistpast box, Sacramento is doing right by its claim as one of the most diverse cities in the country and has a number of multicultural activities taking place in the week leading up to the feast.

On Thursday, November 19, at 8 p.m., the akram khan Company stages its first full-length production, kaash, at the Mondavi Center (One Shields Avenue in Davis); the performance highlights contemporary and classical Indian dance, sculpture and music. Tickets are $13.50-$51 and can be purchased at www.mondaviarts.org.

On Saturday, November 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Native Film Festival will be taking place at the California State Indian Museum (2618 K Street) and five films covering a wide

range of American history will be shown. Admission is $3-$4 and more information can be found at http://www.parks. ca.gov/?page_id=486.

Elsewhere on Saturday, the Viking Festival is happening at the Harding San Juan Masonic Lodge (5944 San Juan Avenue in Citrus Heights) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Attendees can browse a Christmas fair and eat various Scandinavian treats, including something called “Viking-on-a-stick.” Find out more at www.sonsofnorwaysacramento.com.

From Thursday, November 26, through Sunday, November 29, this year’s sacramento hmong New Year at Cal Expo (1600 Exposition Boulevard) celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Hmong migration from Laos and the city’s 27,000 Hmong residents. Southeast Asian snacks will abound, as well as cultural performances and sports competitions. Festivities take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day and admission is $4 for adults, and free for children and adults over 65. More information can be found at http://sacramentohmong newyear.com.

Although the nearby mall will be packed with eager Christmas shoppers, there is no reason why one can’t indulge in a more nontraditional excursion this pre-holiday weekend. For three days, Cal Expo will be transformed into a veritable bazaar with the Harvest Festival Original Art and Craft FestiVal Show. Shop handmade crafts, jewelry, specialty foods, home wares, art and more. Those who enjoy a wholly interactive experience get the added benefit of meeting and talking directly with the many vendors on hand. $9 or $7 with a nonperishable food item, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at 1600 Exposition Boulevard; http://harvestfestival.com.

—EDDIE JORGENSEN

worlds of wonder and whimsy FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, THROUGH SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22 Quilts aren’t just old blankets made by grandmas that get the occasional use on cold winter nights.

That’s old-fashioned thinking. Quilting aficionadas will tell you that quilts are artwork, with art finely crafted detail and skill going into each impressive artifact. Hosted by the River City Quilters’ Guild, the Worlds of Wonder and Whimsy quilt show makes a lovely opportunity for folks to learn more about the sometimes quirky, artistic quilting world. There will be hundreds of hang-able and couch-ready quilts on display, including ones by featured artist Linda Bergmann. $7, 10 a.m. at Scottish Rite Center, 6151 H Street; www.rivercity quilters.org.

—AARON CARNES

—DEENA DREwIS

wild and scenic Film Festival FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 Are you one of the people who watched March of the Penguins in the theater and cried? Nothing to feel embarrassed about. Wildlife films are awesome—full of beauty, mystery and life. The Wild and Scenic Film Festival is like this, but a hundred times FilM better. Produced by the South Yuba River’s Citizens League, it’s got dozens of cool shorts covering Yosemite, butterflies, wolves, the Navajo people of Black Mesa, Ariz., humpback whales, fracking and the gold rush. Check out the festival on tour during its Sacramento stop. $15, 6 p.m. at 24th Street Theatre, 2791 24th Street, www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org.

—AARON CARNES

Birding for Families SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21 Winter is prime birdwatching time in Northern California but even if you don’t know your backyard sparrow from a Sandhill crane, don’t think the hobby’s out of reach. The Effie Yeaw Nature Center, in partnership with the wildliFe Sacramento Audubon Society, is hosting this birding and nature walk. The tour will be led

by SAS guides as well as a guest naturalist. Bring binoculars—or not. The center will offer pairs on loan. Free with a $5 per-car county park fee, 10 a.m.-noon at 2850 San Lorenzo Way in Carmichael; www.sacnaturecenter.net.

—RACHEl lEIBROCk

11.19.15 | SN&R | 27

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Skip the syrup lieGe waffle, Volkswaffle Volkswagon has come under fire lately for its “liar, liar pants on fire” approach to car emissions. The only controversy Volkswaffle, the Sacramento-based food truck, might incur would be thanks to the insane amounts of sugar and carbs it puts out into the world. There are fancy toppings—chocolate, ice cream, etc.—but the plain Liege waffle ($5) is the best. It’s gigantic, made from imported dough studded with Belgian pearl sugar.

You won’t miss the syrup.

The company’s bright red truck makes its way around town and recently added a brick-and-mortar spot. 4140 Manzanita Ave in Carmichael, http://volkswaffleca.net.

—rachel leibrock

Forget the PSL GinGer Mocha, Yellowbill cafe and bakerY IllustratIon by Mark stIvers

Pizza, fresh

bY Janelle Bitker

Better than frozen: I hate on Pieology as much as the next person. But that doesn’t mean I think a Chipotle of pizza business model can’t work, just that Pieology is lame.

Enter Sacramento Pizza Co. (2700 East Bidwell Street, Suite 500, in Folsom), a local business capitalizing on what has become a very popular concept nationwide: customizable, made-to-order personal pizzas. Choose crust, sauce, cheese, toppings, then wait a few minutes and eat.

Sacramento Pizza Co. softly opened a couple of weekends ago.

Though they’re not available just yet, gluten-free crusts are expected. A 10-inch pizza with unlimited extras costs $8.

jan el l e b @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

Coming to Oak Park: Hotshot Bay Area restaurateur Tom Schnetz plans to open an upscale taqueria at 3501 Third Avenue in Oak Park early next year, according to the Sacramento Bee. It’ll be modeled off Tacubaya, his successful taqueria serving a variety of $4 tacos in Berkeley. He’s proven skills with Mexican cuisine before at Oakland’s Dona Tomas. His other popular restaurants are Flora, Fauna and Xolo. Schnetz is a Sacramento native and recently helped open the Cinders bar on Auburn Boulevard.

Sabotaged: Blackbird Kitchen + Beer Gallery executive chef Carina Lampkin competed on Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen recently, and she joined fellow Sacramento

chefs Sacramento chefs Billy Ngo (Kru), Keith Breedlove (Culinerdy Cruizer food truck) and Cecil Rhodes (Cecil’s Taste Food Truck) in finishing second place.

Her final challenge was to bake gingerbread cookies. But she forgot to grab eggs, and then got stuck with using a fireplace as her heat source while wearing so many winter coats she could barely move. She wound up serving raw cookie dough, which the judge actually loved. Sadly, cookie dough doesn’t really count as cookies. Favorite Lampkin line: “The reason I wanna win is, who the fuck wants to lose?”

Moves: Shawarma craving in Davis?

Don’t freak out about the darkened Sam’s Mediterranean Cuisine (247 Third Street). The beloved business merely moved next door in late September, taking over the former dessert cafe Ciocolat (301 B Street). Sam’s is keeping its original location though, with plans to eventually reopen it as a falafel-slinging annex. Meanwhile, Ciocolat hasn’t completely died—it’s now a catering business, specializing in cakes for weddings and other special events. Ω

I’m a ginger junkie, but I never thought coffee and ginger could be a thing. A quick Google search reveals that I’m uneducated, though, because that’s definitely a thing, and it’s done real well at Yellowbill Cafe and Bakery with its Ginger Mocha ($4.25 for 12 ounces, $4.75 for 16). The cafe has a whole suite of fall drinks, but the housemade ginger syrup with cocoa, espresso, milk and candied ginger is the only real choice. It’s like drinking a caffeinated gingersnap, a smooth coffee blend with ginger nipping up sharply once every few sips. It’s a real reason to forget that pumpkin spice stuff. 1425 14th Street, http://yellowbillcafe.com.

—anthonY siino

Sweeter roots ParsniPs No, those aren’t albino carrots. They’re parsnips: cousin to carrots, but sweeter and high in potassium and fiber.

Smaller parsnips add variety to crudité plates for the holidays. Slice and steam larger roots and toss with butter and pepper or glaze them with maple syrup.

Parsnips also add flavor to mashed potatoes or split pea soup without compromising color. Roman aristocrats once kept sweet parsnips for themselves, and the Emperor Tiberius had them imported from Germany.

According to ancient lore, they caused insanity, but they’re really only nutty in flavor.

—ann Martin rolke

11.19.15 | SN&R | 29

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Religion in a rainbow roll

by Garrett Mccord

Lou’s Sushi

asparagus and embraces it in snow crab before wrapping it with thin wisps of tuna. Shiso adds an herbal bitterness that harmonizes it all.

Miso spicy chicken wings ($8.50) may be one of 2801 P Street, (916) 451-4700, the best bites for beer I’ve had in a while. The wings www.lousushi.com are hauntingly savory with miso and fried to a crisp Dinner for one: $25 - $30 perfection before being drenched in a spicy sauce Good for: sushi in a neighborhood joint and dashed with togarashi. The memory of these Notable dishes: sushi nachos little umami bombs haunted long after the meal.

For those who enjoy fire, the BTS ($13) is right up your alley. Strips of albacore are drowned in a shallow puddle of ponzu and chili oil and blanketed in jalapeno. It ends up in your mouth as a devil of I had passed Lou’s Sushi on P and 28th streets sea and spice. numerous times when coming into Midtown, and A grilled eggplant ($6) left the table a bit noticed that the rather unassuming spot was always underwhelmed, as it was severely undercooked, been packed. On occasion, I would even see a throng resulting in a bitter flavor. Perhaps, on another of people milling outside waiting for a seat. Yet, night, it would have been fantastic as the promise I never really pulled the car over and made a stop was certainly there. until a fellow SN&R restaurant critic pointed out that The seafood nachos ($13) could easily fall into somehow we had yet to review this spot. the gimmicky category if not for their execution.

My dining companions were thrilled when I Seafood of the chef’s choice (in our case, spicy tuna) told them where we were going. Apparently, was smashed with avocado and scallion and everyone but me had already found religion served on crispy wonton chips; a playful in a rainbow roll here. reimagination of traditional sushi.

The Lou’s Sushi is run by sushi chef Rolls are thoughtful and certainly specialty Lou Valente, who once practiced creative, but some, like Mt. Fuji ($16), under renowned sushi chef Go buried under a literal mountain of menu is where Kawano. Valente combined years of tempura flakes; and the OMFG ($16), much of the sushi apprenticing with a traditional beaten to a pulp by two overpowering magic takes culinary school career before opening garlic sauces; are only imaginative in his now popular eponymous neighbortheir plating and ultimately result in just place. hood sushi joint. (Neighborhood being more overblown sushi rolls that strangle the key word here. Lou’s is far from the the flavor of the fish and rice. (Then again, bustling center of the grid and the staff know the flash over flavor is what most people want when it names of its customers and their dogs who camp out comes to American-style sushi rolls.) on the patio.)

Other rolls are more reserved, and I would If there are two things that separate Lou’s from encourage you to go this route. The Daniel, my the drudging sameness of most other sushi joints, Brother roll ($13.50) pairs salmon and striped bass it’s the clarity of flavor and ingenuity applied to with cucumber and shiso. An irresistible splash of each dish. ponzu dresses it up and delivers a sense of the chef’s A recent meal started with fresh, meaty oysters precision when it comes to flavor. sauced with ponzu, scallion, Sriracha and lemon. A Lou’s constantly surprised me. When most litmus test for seafood freshness, the oysters were sushi joints seem to deliver the same ol’, same perfection and the addition of ponzu highlighted their ol’, I found new flavors and ideas here, and look sweetness. (Plus, at $1.50 a pop, we felt we could forward to visiting again. Ω easily spoil ourselves.)

The specialty menu is where much of the magic takes place. Take the adorably named L-Train ($12.50): a sort of rice-less roll, Valente takes grilled

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Fit for a viking One of the most buzzed about and exciting cuisines in the world right now is Scandinavian. That’s largely due to Noma, the Danish restaurant deemed “the best restaurant in the world” multiple times. Of course we don’t expect to find that sort of foraged, fine dining experience in Sacramento, but good luck finding any Scandinavian restaurants. I actually searched “Norwegian food” on Yelp just in case, and P.F. Chang’s came up first. Anyway, your best bet for a traditional taste might be the local Sons of Norway’s Viking Festival on Saturday, November 21, at the San Juan Masonic Temple (5944 San Juan Avenue in Citrus Heights). There will be crafts, clothes and other gift items, but more importantly, there will be lunch: lefse (soft, potato-based flatbread), smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches on rye), fiskesuppe (milky fish soup), “Vikingon-a-stick” (meatballs, essentially) and more. Entrance is free, and the fun lasts from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more, visit www.sonsofnorwaysacramento.com.

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By Shoka It’s time to get serious about holiday cooking. Take into consideration the Vegan Thanksgiving cooking class by Emily Honeycutt on Thursday, November 19, because there’s always at least one family member who’s surprised you won’t eat turkey after 14 years of veganism. Honeycutt’s class includes seasonally appropriate dishes that vegans may nonchalantly slide onto the feast table without disclosing that the pumpkin spice cheesecake or herbed chickpea croquettes with porcini mushroom gravy are vegan,

because labels create division, don’t they, Drunk Uncle? The lesson includes a shredded kale salad with cranberrycitrus vinaigrette and roasted delicata squash with pecan and cranberry wild rice stuffing. So what if Dad thinks these aren’t traditional —what’s wrong with new traditions? Sign up at www.sacfoodcoop.com ($35-$45, 6 p.m. at the Sacramento Natural Food Co-op’s Community Learning Center, 1914 Alhambra Boulevard) and practice being grateful—yeah, even for Drunk Uncle.

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Get Wild(er) willy wonkA & THE cHocolATE FAcTory ’Tis the season to feel like an Oompa Loompa from all that holiday eating—might as well go all in and indulge in a 35mm screening of the classic film starring Gene Wilder, too.

FILM There’ll be a costume contest onstage beforehand, and the concession stand will feature candy (surprise!) and even a golden ticket for one lucky patron to find. $8-$10, 7:30 p.m. at Crest Theatre, 1013 K Street; www.crestsacramento.com.

—DEEnA DrEwis

Enter Sandman THE sAnDmAn: ovErTurE Twenty-five years ago, no one knew who the hell Neil Gaiman was; he was just the guy hired by Vertigo to restart the long-shelved Sandman series.

Book What followed was nothing less than the rejuvenation of comic books, as he reimagined a superhero into the mythic energy of a being that existed before the gods arrived.

Dream of the Endless, also known as Morpheus, shares his dominion with his siblings: Destiny, Death, Desire, Destruction, Delirium and Despair. This mythological connection is evident in this deluxe edition of The Sandman: Overture (Vertigo, $24.99); which is a prequel to the events that began the series.

In addition to the story, this edition includes rare artwork and interviews with the creators—but more than anything, it’s a glorious look at graphic novel history.

—kEl mungEr

Perhaps you are excited about the $8 million Jeff Koons sculpture of Piglet (yes, of Winnie the Pooh fame) that will one day grace the grounds of the new arena and you embrace it as a very cosmopolitan addition to the burgeoning DoCo ’hood.

Or, perhaps you think it’s about as worthy as the bowel movement of a toddler who ate a bunch of crayons and then sculpted ART it with his or her recessive hand (depending on who you ask, this may or may not be the point of Koons’ work).

Perhaps you don’t feel one way or the other about Koons’ work, but begrudge the fact that the funding and coveted exposure didn’t go to a local artist, which brings us to our next point: No matter which camp you belong to, one thing everyone can agree on is that local collectors investing in the art scene is vital.

Verge Center for the Arts has resurrected THE Art Auction, which will take place on Saturday, November 21. Attendees can bid on art from regional artists, including work from Suzanne Adan, Jose di Gregorio (whose work is pictured above), Ron Peetz, Brenda Louie, Robert Arneson, Fred Dalkey and Kim Squaglia.

There will also be a pop-up shop featuring, among other vendors, hand-crafted quilts by Two Accordions, paper goods by No Coast Paper Co. and jewelry

by Maya Kini. Enjoy food from Hot Italian, Lucca Restaurant & Bar and Magpie Cafe—if you didn’t pick it up by now, this is going to be a fully loaded, artful affair. $100; 5:30 p.m. at Verge Center for the Arts, 625 S Street; www.vergeart.com.

—DEEnA DrEwis

11.19.15 | SN&R | 33

Shop local and Save

Gift certificateS to local reStaurantS, retail ShopS and boutiqueS for up to 50% off ASR Restaurant & Lounge: $25 for $12.50 Baker’s Donuts: $10 for $5 Broadway Coffee Co.: $5 for $2.50 Drewski’s Hot Rod Kitchen: $15 for $7.50 Edible Arrangements: $25 for $10 El Jardin Mexican Restaurant: $20 for $10 Federalist Public House: $10 for $8 Finnegan’s Public House: $20 for $10 Goldfield Trading Post: $25 for $12.50

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of Kites and Kings; 6:30 p.m. thursday, 8 p.m. friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. saturday, 2 p.m. sunday; $12-$35. sacramento theatre company, 1419 h street; (916) 443-6722; www.sactheatre.org. through December 13.

Ben Franklin is a larger-than-life American hero whose accomplishments are well known to the general public. He was one of this country’s founding fathers.

He was a politician, a postmaster, a printer, a diplomat and so much more. As an inventor he gave us the bifocals and the Franklin stove, as a writer he left us with wise sayings in Poor Richard’s Almanack, and as a scientist, he experimented with electricity.

But even larger-than-life heroes have their flaws.

A new world premiere play by Gary Wright, now at Sacramento Theatre Company, shows that in Franklin’s personal relationships there was much lacking. Of Kites and Kings covers 33 years of Franklin’s life. Much of the story centers around his rocky relationship with his illegitimate son, William.

Wright’s play, directed by Eric Wheeler, features Ted Barton as a convincing look-alike Franklin, Dan Fagan as William (whose performance is sabotaged by an ill-fitting wig in the second act), Adrian Anderson as William’s illegitimate son Temple (Anderson alternates in this role with Riley Edwards), and Katie Rubin as Polly Stevenson, who runs the boarding house in which most of the action takes place.

Rubin acts as a narrator of the events and adds her marvelous humorous timing. Polly swoons for William at first sight and much of her narration involves wishful thinking about what might be between herself and the handsome young man.

This show has a lot of humor without being a comedy. It also focuses on serious situations without being a drama, and it discusses a bit of history without being a historical drama. What it is: a fun evening of theater by a top-notch cast. Ω

Use your smart phone QR reader for more specials

Photo courtesy of sacramento theatre comPany

4 2 Gentlemen of Verona Toying with Shakespeare can be a crap shoot at best. Sometimes it works; often it doesn’t. Big Idea Theatre regularly is successful at the game and its latest—2 Gentlemen of Verona—is a good example of such. Setting the play in Las Vegas turns the Royal Court, locus of much of the action, into the Royal Court Casino—but the adapter, who is not credited, hedges bets by not making fuller use of that setting.

Imagine Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in a Shakespearean bromance. That’s Valentine (Eric Craig, dapper in his suit and tie) and best friend Proteus (the charming, open-faced Russell Dow), who go all in when both fall in love with the same woman. Sylvia (Chloe King) is a lounge singer who enchants both men, despite Proteus’ having already pledged his love to Julia (whip-smart Mariana Seda). One complication: Sylvia has been pledged— more like promised by her father—to another lounge performer, Thurio (Brian Bohlender, whose pliable face says more than his words or actions).

This comedy, which some consider to be Shakespeare’s first play, shows many hallmarks of the Bard’s later comedies: mistaken identities, a heroine who dresses as a boy and mischievous servants (here it is Speed and Lance, expertly played for laughs by Zachary Scovel and Kevin Adamski, respectively).

Gail Dartez deftly directs an excellent cast capable of understanding and acting the language. Oh, and the dog. Well, he may be the best actor of all.

—Jim Lane 2 Gentlemen of Verona, 8 p.m. thursday-saturday, $10-$20.

Big Idea theatre, 1616 Del Paso Boulevard; (916) 960-3036; www.bigideatheatre.org. through December 12.

11.19.15 | SN&R | 35

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Brooklyn Just another brick in the wall?

5

by Jim Lane

Irish immigrants down on their luck. It sharpens her homesickness for a while; Father Flood consoles her—like any sickness, he says, this one will pass.

In Brooklyn, directed by John Crowley and adapted Eilis meets Tony (Emory Cohen, in a breakby Nick Hornby from Colm Toibin’s novel, Saoirse through performance), an Italian-American youth Ronan delivers gloriously on the promise she showed with a weakness for Irish girls, who falls head-over as an adolescent in Atonement (2007). She plays Eilis for Eilis almost at first sight. As romance blossoms, Lacey, a young woman in rural Ireland in the early so does Eilis: happier and friendlier at work, taking 1950s. It’s no coincidence, perhaps, that the characnight classes in accounting to get ahead, meeting ter’s name is pronounced “Ail-ish”; there’s a faint and Tony’s family, going on dates to Coney Island and slightly sickly air about her, like a flower in cold the movies. shade unable to bloom.

Then tragedy strikes and Eilis must return Deliverance comes for Eilis in the to Ireland—for a visit, she says, but Tony form of an offer from Father Flood isn’t so sure. “Home is home,” he tells (Jim Broadbent), a local priest transher, resigned and a little sad. Back in The movie planted to America. The good father Ireland, she feels the pull of the old draws subtle but has a sponsor, a job and a home life, strengthened by the attentions distinct parallels for Eilis in the New York borough of a local boy (Domhnall Gleeson) of Brooklyn. Leaving her vivawho falls for her just as Tony did. that sharpen the cious sister Rose (Fiona Glascott) It is in this return to Ireland that suspense. and their tremulous mother (Jane Brooklyn and Ronan’s performance, Brennan), Eilis embarks for America, like Eilis, reach full flower. Crowley TK already homesick—and soon seasick to and Hornby don’t stack the deck either boot—wondering exactly what Father Flood way. We see what Eilis has (and could lose) is delivering her to. on both continents, and her dilemma is as painful On the voyage, Eilis meets Georgina (Eva Birthistle), to us as it is to her; there’s an aching suspense to a fellow émigré returning to America after a visit home.

Brooklyn that bigger, brasher movies can only dream Georgina counsels Eilis on holding her own in steerage of. The movie draws subtle but distinct parallels— and later, negotiating the lines on Ellis Island. In a lesser Coney Island with a lonely Irish beach, Brooklyn movie Georgina and Eilis would become gal pals in the brownstones with thatched cottages—that sharpen New World, but not here. At Ellis Island Georgina gives the suspense.

Eilis an encouraging nod, then she’s gone. If it weren’t Home is home—but where is that? When for the miracles to come in Eilis’ life—and in the Eilis finally decides, it provides a soaring end movie—Eilis would miss Georgina (and we would miss to one of the smallest, most intimate and best Birthistle) terribly. movies of the year. Ω Her new life piles on Eilis—living in a boarding house with the cheerfully cantankerous Mrs. Kehoe (Julie Walters, hilarious), working in a tony department store where her timidity threatens to be a liability, helpPoor Fair Good Very excellent ing Father Flood serve Thanksgiving dinner to other

1 2 3 4 5 Good

36 | SN&R | 11.19.15

fiLm CLiPS

2

The 33

Nope, not a sequel to The 3, the psychological thriller spec script penned by Charlie Kaufman’s twin brother in Adaptation, but a clunky retelling of the 2010 Chilean mining accident that trapped 33 miners underground for over two months. This is the rare film that combines the narrative thrust and suspense of an Anderson Cooper 360 episode with the shameless schmaltz and racially dicey casting choices of an old-school Hollywood biopic. Antonio Banderas stars as Mario Sepúlveda, a gregarious family man who assumed the role of leader after a cave-in trapped his crew a half-mile under the earth, and Lou Diamond Phillips gets the Van Heflin role as a shifty-eyed foreman complicit in the mining company’s corruption. Very little here rises above the level of the perfunctory and predictable; if anything, getting trapped in a mine is portrayed as an inspirational bonding experience and overall raucous good time. D.B.

3

Burnt

A former superstar chef (Bradley Cooper), fallen from Parisian haute cuisine to shucking oysters in a New Orleans joint, plans a comeback in London, taking over a tony restaurant on the strength of his brilliant talent. Steven Knight and Michael Kalesniko’s script never really establishes this guy’s supposed genius; it just shows him furrowing his brow and/or throwing abusive tantrums, counting on us to make the jackass-equals-genius connection, abetted

by Cooper’s star power. Cooper delivers the goods right enough, with help from Daniel Bruhl as his business partner and Sienna Miller as his sous-chef-cum-love-interest.

Other talents, especially female ones (Emma Thompson, Alicia Vikander, Lily James, Uma Thurman) are underused, even wasted. John Wells’ direction is dutiful, if uninspired. J.L.

2

Heist

A blackjack dealer on a riverboat casino (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) asks his boss (Robert De Niro) for a six-figure loan to pay for his daughter’s surgery. Being refused, he joins a co-worker (Dave Bautista) in a plan to rob the casino—but the job goes sour and they hijack a bus to make their escape. Echoes of better movies abound in Stephen Cyrus Sepher and Max Adams’ screenplay, mixed with an illogic entirely their own. Morgan has a certain rugged appeal, and Scott Mann directs with gung-ho urgency, but the improbable turns in the plot—culminating in a final gimme-abreak twisteroo—defeat them. De Niro isn’t the only talent wasted here: Morris Chestnut, D.B. Sweeney and Gina Carano all struggle with the material; even Kate Bosworth flits through for an earnest scene as De Niro’s estranged daughter. J.L.

4

BY DANIEL BARNES & JIM LANE

Labyrinth of Lies

Labyrinth of Lies exudes a childlike confidence akin to a Rousseau painting, and whatever it lacks in nuance and good taste it makes up for in its mix of heart-on-sleeve moralism, pulp drama, classic form and ethereal rhythms. Co-written and directed by Giulio Ricciarelli, the film takes place in Germany 1958, long enough after the war for Germans to have completely forgotten their own atrocities, and the story centers around the real-life exposure of the horrors at Auschwitz. It makes for a curious inversion of the whodunit, since we’re unraveling a mystery where we already know the identity of the murderers, and the investigators are the ones forced to reckon with a legacy of horror. The script is almost doltish at times, and the protagonist’s journey from cartoonish straight arrow to cartoonish cynical drunk practically invites laughter, but the film possesses a wide-eyed, Nancy Drew sincerity that’s hard to resist. D.B.

1013 K STREET DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO • (916) 476-3356 • CRESTSACRAMENTO.COM Swing low ...

4

+++++

Room

Director Lenny Abrahamson brought a hazy commingling of whimsy and psychosis to last year’s Michael-Fassbender-in-a-fake-head quirkfest Frank that never worked for me, yet that same approach proves essential to the success of Abrahamson’s Room. Adapted from a novel by Emma Donoghue, who also wrote the screenplay, Room views the world through the wide-shut eyes of Jack (an eerily good Jacob Tremblay), a precocious 5-yearold boy who lives with his mother in what appears to be a heavily secured garden shed. As Jack’s mother, Brie Larson stands on the shoulders of her 2013 film Short Term 12 and establishes herself as one of the top craftspeople in her trade, laying out years of unspeakable horror with a gesture or a tremble. The sound, design, cinematography, story structure and performances are all impeccable; if the film were 15 percent less focused on the fuzzy-wuzzy, it might have even been great. D.B.

2

Love the Coopers

A large family—Mom and Dad (Diane Keaton, John Goodman), their adult offspring (Ed Helms, Olivia Wilde), Mom’s sister (Marisa Tomei) and father (Alan Arkin), Dad’s aunt (June Squibb)—get together for Christmas dinner, with the gene pool varied by adding a few others (Jake Lacey as a date for Wilde, Amanda Seyfried for Arkin, Anthony Mackie as a cop arresting Tomei for shoplifting). Grudges get massaged, secrets revealed, resentments flaunted, all punctuated with lame comedy and ending in the inevitable group hug. Steven Rogers’ script is smugly contrived and pseudo-profound; virtually every big moment rings false, but the talented cast strives gamely to sell them. Jessie Nelson’s direction is as unfocused as the script is phony, as if she had as much trouble keeping the characters straight as we do. J.L.

2

Miss You Already

Two lifelong best friends (Drew Barrymore, Toni Collette) grapple with the crises and conflicts that arise as one (Barrymore) tries to get pregnant and the other (Collette) battles with an aggressive and fast-moving cancer. Barrymore and Collette make engaging use of their considerable star chemistry, while Paddy Considine and Dominic Cooper (as their respective husbands) and Jacqueline Bisset (as Collette’s mother) offer stalwart support, with young actors Honor Kneafsey and Ryan Lennon Baker (as Collette’s children) adding an agreeable dash of domestic clamor to the proceedings. But Morwenna Banks’ script has the excruciating familiarity and predictability of a gal-pal tearjerker we’ve seen a hundred times already; all that’s missing is to have Barrymore burst into a chorus of “Wind Beneath My Wings.” J.L.

3

My All American

Writer-director Angelo Pizzo (adapting Jim Dent’s biography) recounts the short life of Freddie Steinmark, a University of Texas football player who helped his team and Coach Darrell Royal (Aaron Eckhart) to a national championship before dying of bone cancer at 22. Pizzo gets off to an awkward start, with a reporter interviewing the aging Royal and telling

him things he already knows about himself, but once the movie flashes back to the 1960s, sincere performances and an eye for period detail turn the movie into a good old-fashioned sports tearjerker. Michael Reilly Burke and Robin Tunney are good as Steinmark’s parents, while as Steinmark’s devoted high-school sweetheart, Sarah Bolger (last seen in the god-awful The Lazarus Effect, where nobody escaped unscathed) makes a mark for herself as someone to watch. J.L.

2

The Peanuts Movie

3

Spectre

Joshua Rothkopf,

“SHEER JOY IN CINEMATIC FORM, Full Of Fine Actors Giving Rich Performances With Endlessly Layered Characters.”

Scott Mendelson,

100% TOP CRITICS

The adventures of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy and the rest of the gang. The two stars are a pity-rating for old times’ sake; in fact, the movie is a near-total dud, endless at 93 minutes, useful only as an intro to the strip for the benefit of those who have been in a coma since 1950. Limply written by Craig and Bryan Schulz (son and grandson of creator Charles M. Schulz) and Cornelius Uliano, the movie has no reason to exist except as a ploy to keep the characters from falling into the public domain.

That may actually have been the point, since the Schulzes and Uliano include several characters (Patty, Violet, Shermy) who were dropped from the strip 40-plus years ago. Curiously, the handful of retro drawn-style scenes are more visually interesting than director Steve Martino’s glossy 3-D computer animation. J.L.

James Bond (Daniel Craig) is on the trail of a shadowy crime organization just as he, M (Ralph Fiennes) and the Double-Oh program are falling into disfavor with higher-ups and threatened with retirement. Craig’s fourth outing as 007 will please the fans despite several drawbacks: it’s wildly overlong at 146 minutes, the opening sequence (which used to be a sample of more and better fun to come) is by far the best scene in the movie and the theme song (sung tooth-and-nail by Sam Smith) is one of the worst of the whole series. Saving the day (well, more or less) are the assets: Craig and Fiennes (naturally), Lea Seydoux as a particularly appealing Bond girl, and Christoph Waltz, who was born to play a Bond villain.

Sam Mendes’ direction is workmanlike, but the derivative script needed brutal editing. J.L.

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SACRAMENTO11.19.15 NEWS & REVIEW | SN&R | 37

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UPcOMING EVENtS

Art Mix @ crocker Art Museum: $10 for $2.50 club Fantasy Admission: $20 for $8 crest theatre Admission: $10 for $5 Laughs Unlimited: $20 for $10 Powerhouse Pub Admission: $15 for $3.75 Forever tango @ community center theater (11/18): $79 for $39.50 tainted Love @ Harlow’s (11/20 & 11/21): $15 for $7.50 Willy Wonka And the chocolate Factory @ crest theatre (11/21): $10 for $5 Nikki Lane @ Harlow’s (11/25): $14 for $7 Saved By the 90s @ Harlow’s (11/28): $12 for $6 Jim Brickman: comfort & Joy @ crest theatre (11/28): $35 for $17.50 Royal concept, Parade of Lights @ Harlow’s (11/30): $14 for $7 Strange Love @ Harlow’s (12/12): $15 for $7.50 the Emerald cup @ Sonoma county Fairgrounds (12/12-12/13): $106.49 for $69.22 B Side Players @ Harlow’s (12/18): $12 for $6

check out our website to get great deals on concerts at Ace of Spades, Goldfield trading Post and Harlow’s.

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w w w. n e w s r e v i e w.c o m 38 | SN&R | 11.19.15

The Nickel Slots take a gamble at life, Americana and Bob Seger

by Janelle Bitker

janelleb@newsreview.com

a few options, and word has it, Seger chose the Nickel Slots based off its video for “The Devil’s Chain Gang.”

“That was a jackpot,” Brusca says. “I had Bob Seger’s albums. I grew up listening to him. For all of us, it was a huge, huge honor.”

“The Devil’s Chain Gang” video is a feat in its own right. It took home a couple of Sacramento Film and Music Festival awards.

Brusca says it’s starting to get airplay all over the world including random gyms in Australia and “Which way to Circus Circus?” department stores in England.

Sound like a lot of success for a local country band of dudes in their late 40s?

Maybe, but these guys are all longtime staples in the Tony Brusca remembers meeting up with his Sacramento music scene. Brusca is, of course, the brother at a casino decades ago. Only his brother was frontman of local pop-punk band the Brodys, which a blackjack dealer, and his shift was three hours from has been around for two decades. Chris and Steve being over. That meant Brusca needed to burn the Amaral were both in the locally acclaimed Red Star $10 in his pocket as slowly as possible. He went to Memorial. Mandolin player Paul Zinn still performs the nickel slots. with the Blow Kings, an 11-piece brass band in San That story—ending with Brusca running out of Francisco. money, getting kicked out, shivering in the snow “Seven years went by so fast,” Brusca says. and contemplating his life decisions—formed the “People have changed jobs, kids have been born, basis for “Evolution,” one of the first songs Brusca houses have been bought, but the band continwrote for the Nickel Slots. The band built ues to be right there in the mix.” its philosophy around that idea: good At the Torch Club, the Slots plan people falling on hard times, inevita“Being to introduce a new holiday EP, bly and desperately winding up at in a band is Christmas with the Nickel Slots, slot machines. with three twangy version of claslike being at a slot “You think you’re done. You sics and one too-true original, “A only have so many nickels left,” machine.”

Shot and a Beer for Christmas.”

Brusca says. “But in those nickels, They recorded it this summer at Tony Brusca there’s hope.”

Pus Cavern, wearing T-shirts and singer-songwriter, the The Nickel Slots celebrates its flip-flops on a 110-degree day.

Nickel Slots seven year anniversary on Saturday, The Nickel Slots will debut a few November 21, at the Torch Club. No new songs as well. Brusca is already busy openers, just a full night of the Slots’ working on the fourth record, hopefully coming rockin’ Americana. Think Johnny Cash meets Tom out next winter. And what else is in store? Another Petty meets the Clash meets Social Distortion, and Seger-level opportunity? Something even bigger? then they all have a whiskey-fueled party.

“I really feel like being in a band is like being at a With alt-country twang and a punk vibe, the slot machine,” Brusca says. “The longer you sit there Nickel Slots earned its third Sammie award last year, and pull the handle, you never know what’s going to which will catapult the band into the Sammies Hall happen.” Ω of Fame. Other notable accomplishments: recording three full-length albums, touring Europe twice and winning the approval of Bob Seger. check out the nickel slots at 9 p.m. saturday, november 21, at the torch club, Yes, Bob Seger.

904 19th street. tickets are $10. More at www.thenickelslotsmusic.com.

Back in March, Seger needed a local opener for his last-minute, rescheduled show at Sleep Train Arena. Andy Hawk of 98 Rock sent Seger links for photo by kevin cortopassi

SN&R READERS SAVE ON cONcERt tIcKEtS

Play hard or go home

SouNd advice

Sac’s most exciting band?

Submerged: “Hello. We’re Contra. We don’t have any music for sale. … Just listen to us. Enjoy it.”

So began Sacramento supergroup and enigma Contra, headliner at Submerge Magazine’s 200th issue party. The event should go down as a definitive success, with a top-tier, diverse lineup of all local talent and a pretty solid turnout for a Sunday night.

Then again, I’m somewhat surprised it wasn’t packed, given said top-tier lineup and free admission. So it goes.

LowBrau was at its coziest during Contra’s set. With members of Doombird, Dusty Brown and Tycho, Contra pulled off a cross between synthy ’80s power-pop and the likes of the National and the War on Drugs.

It’s such a shame that Contra is so adamant about never putting out a record, though more the reason to make sure to catch the group live. Kris Anaya sang with a milk crate over this head, made a joke about the Sammies— or was it a joke about Submerge?— and claimed his entire band was from Carmichael. Key word: claimed.

It marked the peak of a generally excellent night. Earlier, we were treated to a full-band Joseph in the Well set. Violinist Joe Kye so often performs solo, it’s easy to forget that he prefers to play with upright bassist Casey Lipka (Cave Women) and drummer Tim Stephenson. As a trio, songs fall somewhere between Kye’s majestic minimalism and the lush, grand orchestrations on his debut album. At some points, I wished I was hearing his stripped-down versions and felt distracted from the main star. Elsewhere, such as the rhythmic “Happy Song,” it became tough to imagine the songs without drums and bass. Of course, the less-than-ideal acoustics definitely played a role.

In the past, Sunmonks’ LowBrau sets have been challenging because of those aforementioned acoustics.

But on Sunday, the band sounded tighter than ever. Sunmonks also played a bunch of new songs off their upcoming debut full-length, which veered toward a Talking Heads influence and slightly away from the Dirty Projectors styling of early work, like “The Deaf.” Still, it’s tough to make comparisons at all. Tribal vocal harmonies, tropical rhythms, unusual time signatures—the set solidified my

opinion that Sunmonks are the most

exciting and promising emerging indie act in town. Now it just needs that live horn section.

—Janelle Bitker jan el l e b @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

Sparsely populated: It’s probably been said that band camaraderie must always be able to stand up in the face of adversity. Last Saturday at Fox & Goose, Cory Norris & Good Company stood tall and celebrated their CD release to a mere few attendees.

Despite the low turnout, they still managed to lay it down in their wellknown funky-footed style.

Even Norris himself wasn’t shy to comment on the crowd’s minute status over the mic: “We’re small, but we can still be loud, right?” In turn, the rock group delivered music like dogged entertainers for such an intimate audience. And, hidden amongst the quiet listeners in the back, there was one avid screamer who showed some real audible love.

The local Stummies, plus Dylan Crawford and Andre Fyling (of Massive Delicious), also gave strongwilled performances. Crawford and Fyling were the openers, keeping it reggae-rooted with their dreads and beards, dueling acoustic guitars and downy vocals. The Stummies closed out with a nightcap of their indie-pop— and, in case you didn’t know, they’re aptly named after a fictitious drug from the film Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy.

No doubt, Norris & Good Company were the most footloose of the night, as Norris literally played in his bare feet—just kicked off his Chuck Taylors and socks and threw them by the wayside.

Though the room’s population slowly dwindled further, the group rattled off tracks from its new album In Over My Head. Songs like “Calling Down” and “Mermaid” seemed wellreceived—and gave bassist Rodell Borbon Patman a chance to shine with his heavy-duty slap technique.

It’s refreshing when pros are as dedicated to their craft as Cory Norris & Good Company. They could’ve been playing to a crowd of one and would’ve given it their all. Norris, as usual, told the night’s sparse group of onlookers to “Remain in good company.” Way to see the forest for the trees.

SN&R

—Derek kaplan

11.19.15 | SN&R | 39

20 FRI

20 SAT

20 FRI

21 SAT

Blind Guardian

Lite Brite

Homegirl Dance Party

Lila Rosa

Ace of SpAdeS, 7 p.m., $25

Blue lAmp, 8 p.m. cAll for cover.

You can’t talk about power metal without talking Blind Guardian. The long-running masters of the genre have been using juiced solos, dynamic prog songwriting and operatic vocals to tell stories from fantasy, sci-fi and horror masters such as J.R.R. Tolkien and Stephen King for decades, as well as tales of their own. Plus, it’s all rooted in old-school German thrash and speed metal. Some might PoweR MeTAL sneer at power metal’s fantastical commitment to elves and goblins, but let’s get real: Is wearing corpse paint and worshiping Satan any less silly?

1417 R Street, www.blind-guardian.com.

—Anthony Siino

dive BAr, 9:30 p.m., no cover

With the threat of legal action from the Mattel Corporation hanging over their heads like the sword of Damocles, Rock Sacramento hard rockers Lite Brite are playing their last gig under that name.

They’ll return early next year with a new album, new single, new video and a new name: American Killers. The video, for their song “Big City,” will be animated by Adam Avilla, who’s created crazy-ass videos for Giraffage and Kurt Vile, among others.

Helping them bid their old moniker bon voyage is Happy Fangs, the new band featuring Jess Gowrie (Red Host, I’m Dirty Too) and The Kelps. 1400 Alhambra Boulevard, www.facebook.com/americankillers.

—BriAn BrenemAn

40 | SN&R | 11.19.15

hAven underground, 9 p.m., $11-$15

If a deejay set at Dive Bar called “Homegirl Dance Party” isn’t reason enough to get off the couch on a Friday night, consider this: The minds behind the turntables are none other than Sister Crayon. Taking place every third Friday from here on out, the first one kicked off last month with a ’90s R&B theme.

No word as to what this month’s vibe will be, but does it matter? Coming off one of the most exciting releases by a local artist this year with Devoted, a dance party catering to the demographic that had DANce PARTY CrazySexyCool on cassette is just another stop on the trail of badassery. 1016 K Street, www.facebook.com/ sistercrayon.

—deenA drewiS

Part activist, part multimedia artist and part singer-songwriter, Lila Rose sounds well-suited for her upcoming gig in Nevada City. In fact, she sounds like she’d be besties with Nevada City expat, folktronica artist and Burning Man performer Ayla Nereo: environmentally rooted lyrics, intriguing vocal manipulations, richly textured soundscapes.

Except, Rose is darker and more cinematic.

Live, she sings from inside ALTeRNATIve a cage and incorporates 3-D mapping into her stage design. Poetry!

Symbolism! Find out why she was named the best musician in the East Bay Express last year. 226 Broad Street in Nevada City, www.facebook.com/lilarosemusic.

—JAnelle Bitker

POETrY! SYMBOLISM!

22 S UN

25 W ED

25 W ED

25 W ED

Vinnie Guidera & the Dead Birds

The Ten Tenors

Nikki Lane

Ben Browning

harriS Center, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., $39-$75

Starlite lounge, 8 p.m., $7 A new record to compliment any listening rotation is Lows from Vinnie Guidera & the Dead Birds. A little Iron & Wine meets Ryan Adams, the 11-song album gradually exposes Guidera’s more melancholy experiences as he candidly shares with listeners accompanied by his acoustic guitar. He’s also backed by the steady tempo and crash of percussion courtesy of INDIE Ian McDonald, while Kevin Hayes holds down the bass guitar. Recorded in Guidera’s living room, Lows melds blues, indie and folk elements. 1517 21st Street, www.facebook.com/vinnieguideramusic.

harlow’S reStaurant and nightClub, 7 p.m., $14

Australian vocal group the Ten Tenors have achieved massive success all across the globe with six platinum and gold records to their credit, in addition to performing alongside musical artists such as Keith Urban, Rod Stewart, HOLIDAY MUSIC Alanis Morissette, Sarah Brightman and Willie Nelson. Their upcoming performance will include seasonal favorites such as “White Christmas,” “Amazing, Grace,” “Winter Wonderland” and “Feliz Navidad” (yes, the Spanish version), and if you’re lucky, perhaps some operatic AC/DC or Meatloaf covers. 10 College Parkway in Folsom, http://thetentenors.com.

—eddie JorgenSen

—Steph rodriguez

dive bar, 9 p.m., no Cover

Nikki Lane has been dubbed the “first lady of outlaw country” for a reason. “Stand by your man” is not the kind of COUNTrY lyric she sings. She covers territory like sleeping around, getting rowdy, getting drunk and, of course, heartbreak.

OK, technically she dubbed herself the “first lady of outlaw country,” and it was partially a joke, but it was also a way to separate her from the pop-country sound currently dominating the market. Musically, she resembles the old female country singers like Wanda Jackson and Loretta Lynn, with a healthy dose of early rock ’n’ roll, rockabilly and a slight punk-rock edge.

2708 J Street, www.nikkilane.com.

A long-time member of Australian electronic band Cut Copy, Ben Browning launched his solo career with the Turns LP in mid-2015. The record does not stray far from the danceteria that Cut Copy fans enjoyed at TBD Fest: a frenetic synthesis of techno and synth pop. For fans of Le Twist Tuesdays at Lowbrau, DJ Sam-I-Jam-curated Roulé is the Dive Bar equivalent. Browning as the guest DJ deejay on Thanksgiving eve with everyone home for the holiday is sure to mean full capacity in the venue and a line along K Street; get on the list by RSVPing on the Facebook event page. 1016 K Street, www.facebook.com/benbrowningofficial.

—aaron CarneS

—blake gilleSpie

2708 J Street Sacramento, CA 916.441.4693 www.harlows.com

LIVE MUSIC VOTED BEST BAR IN ROSEVILLE! 2015 -PRESS TRIBUNE

nov 20 nov 21 nov 27 nov 28 dec 4 dec 5 dec 11 dec 12 dec 18 dec 19

THE BONGO FURYS LILLIE LEMON CLOSED GLASS HOUSE SIMPLE CREATION DAVE ADAMS PROJECT JACOB NOLAN BILLY MANZIK ANDREW CASTRO WHISKEY ALLEY

27 BEERS ON DRAFT TRIVIA MONDAYS @ 6:30PM OPEN MIC WEDNESDAYS SIGN-UPS @ 7:30PM PINT NIGHT MONDAYS 5-8PM

101 MAIN STREET, ROSEVILLE 916-774-0505 · LUNCH/DINNER 7 DAYS A WEEK FRI & SAT 9:30PM - CLOSE 21+ FACEBOOK.COM/BAR101ROSEVILLE

UPCOMING EVENTS STONEYS 18 & OVER NIGHTS

CHAIRMAN FRED HAMPTON JR.

(TWO NIGHTS)

$2 WELLS, $3 BEERS $4 WHISKEYS 9-11 FREE DANCE LESSONS 8:30

FRIDAY

18 & OVER. DJ COUNTRY

SATURDAY

21 & OVER DJ COUNTRY

SUNDAY FUNDAY

NFL PACKAGE, .50 CENT WINGS $1 TACOS 18 & OVER COLLEGE COUNTRY DANCE NIGHT NO COVER OVER 21 $5 UNDER

FREE DANCE LESSONS NIGHTLY

1320 DEL PASO BLVD

STONEYINN.COM | 916.927.6023

NIKKI LANE

TAINTED LOVE

$3 DISCOUNT WITH COLLEGE ID 18 & OVER

21 & OVER DJ COUNTRY

11/25 7PM $14

11/20-21 9PM $15ADV

KNCI COUNTRY COLLEGE NIGHT WEDNESDAYS

THURSDAYS

COMING SOON

11/19 9PM $15

11/22 6PM $17ADV

SEVYN STREETER

AVERY WILSON ODE TO SATURDAY (ALL AGES)

11/27 8PM $15

TWO GALLANTS

GOODNIGHT TEXAS

11/28 5:30PM $10ADV

EPSILONA, BABE, TROPHIL, HOSTED BY JAMES CAVERN

11/24 7PM $14ADV

GUTTERMOUTH

BLACKLIST ROYALS, BOATS!

11/28 9:30PM $12ADV

SAVED

BY THE 90S

11/30 12/02 12/03 12/4 12/5 12/06 12/07 12/08 12/09 12/11 12/12 12/13 12/14 12/18 12/19 12/20 12/23 12/26 12/31 01/16

The Royal Concept / Parade of Lights

The Subdudes !!! (Chk Chk Chk) Chris Robinson Brotherhood Goapele Frank Sinatra Tribute The Dandy Warhols The 1 Guy Charlie Hunter Trio Tommy Castro Strangelove The Dustbowl Revival Nick Lowe and Los Sraitjackets B Side Players Midnight Players Rat Pack Christmas Peter Petty Big Eyed Fish Mustache Harbor Stu Hamm Band

11.19.15 | SN&R | 41

BADLANDS

2003 K St., (916) 448-8790

THURSDAY 11/19

FRIDAY 11/20

#TBT and 5 Card Stud with throwback video requests, 8pm, call for cover

Fabulous and Gay Fridays, 9pm, call for cover

Spectacular Saturdays, 8pm, call for cover

THE BONGO FURYS, 9pm, no cover

LILLIE LEMON, 9:30pm, call for cover

LITE BRITE, HAPPY FANGS, KELPS; call for time and cover

MAIDEN CALIFORNIA, JUDAS THIEVES; 8pm, call for cover

THE ACACIA STRAIN, COUNTERPARTS, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY; 6:30pm, $14-$16

TEXAS IN JULY, REFLECTIONS, TO THE WIND, SALYTHIA; 6:30pm, $13-$15

BAR 101 List your event!

Post your free online listing (up to 15 months early), and our editors will consider your submission for the printed calendar as well. Print listings are also free, but subject to space limitations. Online, you can include a full description of your event, a photo, and a link to your website. Go to www.newsreview.com/calendar and start posting events. Deadline for print listings is 10 days prior to the issue in which you wish the listing to appear.

101 Main St., Roseville; (916) 774-0505

BLUE LAMP

1400 Alhambra, (916) 455-3400

THE BOARDWALK

9426 Greenback Ln., Orangevale; (916) 988-9247

BURN RIVER BURN, THE ROAD VIKINGS, JULIE LAUTSCH, FAST PIECE OF SURVIVING THE ERA; 8pm, call for cover FURNITURE; 8pm Tu, call for cover HANDS LIKE HOUSES, I THE MIGHTY, BRIDGES; 6:30pm M, $13-$15 Kenny Steel Fall Student Showcase, 3pm, $11

COUNTRY CLUB SALOON

4007 Taylor Rd., Loomis; (916) 652-4007

DIPPIN’ SAUCE, 5pm, call for cover

BRANDED, 9pm, call for cover

THE COZMIC CAFE

Open-mic, 7:30pm, no cover

DISTRICT 30

MARK SIXMA AND EMMA HEWITT, 10pm, $10

All White Party with DJ Oasis, 10pm, call for cover

Glowbal with Ron Reeser, 10pm, call for cover

FACES

Everything Happens karaoke, dance and swim; 9pm-2am, no cover

Absolut Fridays dance party, 9pm, $5-$10

Party Time with Sequin Saturdays Drag Show, 9pm, $5-$12

FOX & GOOSE

THE MIKE JUSTIS BAND, 8pm, no cover

HANS & THE HOT MESS, ADAM BLOCK; 9pm, $5

PAT REILLY TRIO, NOAH NELSON, BRIAN WATSON; 9pm, $5

594 Main St., Placerville; (530) 642-8481

1001 R St., (916) 443-8825

GOLDFIELD TRADING POST

JOSH BUDRO BAND, 9pm, $5

HALFTIME BAR & GRILL

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

REBEL YELL, 9pm, $5

TAINTED LOVE, 9pm, $15-$18

TAINTED LOVE, 9pm, $15-$18

1603 J St., (916) 476-5076

5681 Lonetree Blvd., Rocklin; (916) 626-6366

HARLOW’S

CHAIRMAN FRED HAMPTON JR., 9pm, $15-$20

THE HIDEAWAY BAR & GRILL

Trash Rock Thursdays, 9pm, no cover

LUNA’S CAFE & JUICE BAR

Joe Montoya’s Poetry Unplugged, 8pm, $2

2708 J St., (916) 441-4693 2565 Franklin Blvd., (916) 455-1331 1414 16th St., (916) 441-3931

MIDTOWN BARFLY

1119 21st St., (916) 549-2779

PENNY HARDING, JEFF SEARS, KATHY BARWICK; 8pm, $10

Sunday Mass with heated pool, drag show, 2pm, no cover

Open mic, M, no cover; Tacos and Trivia, 7pm Tu; JANMONDO, 9pm W, no cover Trivia night, 7:30pm Tu; Bingo, 1pm W SEVYN STREETER, AVERY WILSON, ODE TO SATURDAY; 6:30pm, $17-$20

GUTTERMOUTH, BOATS!; 8pm Tu, $14-$16; NIKKI LANE, 8pm W, $14

Sunday Sinema, 8pm, call for cover

Record Club, M; Cactus Pete’s 78 RPM Record Roundup, 8pm Tu

FRANK JOSEPH G, PUDDLESTOMPER, LARISKA BRYSKI; 8pm, $5

Nebraska Mondays, 7:30pm M; Openmic comedy, 8pm Tu; Comix, 8pm W, $5

Throwdown with Bad Royale, 10pm, $10

Salsa Wednesday, 7:30pm W, $5

2 $ 00 7 $ 00 4 $ 00 4 $ 50

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Sex and other complications I had prostate cancer and need a penis pump and Viagra to maintain an erection.

The side effects of Viagra concern me, but the penis pump alone doesn’t do the trick.

My girlfriend broke up with me after my doctor released me to go back to work.

She denies it, but I know it was because of her fears about intimacy. I didn’t expect to ever be on the market again, but here I am.

When do I tell a woman I am interested in about my post-cancer problem? Is the first date too soon? I don’t want to wait too long, but I don’t want to overshare, either.

I’m worried about my girlfriend because her father loses his temper a lot and calls her a whore, or worse. She’s not. We’ve never even had sex. Her mother doesn’t stop him. She tells my girlfriend not to take it personally. My girlfriend can’t move out.

We’re in high school. I feel like our relationship consists of her telling me about her dad yelling at her, and me trying to get her to stop crying. What can I say to help her?

Your girlfriend’s father is abusing her, and he requires immediate psychological help.

Some adults don’t understand the concept For most people, sexual intimacy is one of projection. It’s a defense mechanism benefit of being in a relationship, but not in which a person unconsciously assigns the only reason they desire a partner. Some his own ugly attitudes, fears or behaviors people are seeking affection, not onto someone else. A father sex. Or they want a companion who calls his daughter “a for outings and travel. whore” is signaling his Is it Others are driven by the own immaturity around possible the fear of being alone as sexuality. His daughter’s they age, and want breakup would have ease in accepting her a partner who can femaleness may frighten happened anyway?

Or help. Human beings him. It’s likely that his should the breakup are complicated, so sexuality has never been there are a multitude have occurred integrated into his mind of explanations behind in a healthy, life-giving earlier? why we date. If you accept way. You must notify a this reality, the urgency counselor or another trusted you feel to tell all will subside. adult at your school, and insist When it does, your story can unfold they intervene. Don’t let fear that this naturally over the course of getting to know man will be angry with you get in the way a woman. Wouldn’t that be sweeter? of taking action to protect your girlfriend. Ω Let’s look at rejection. Your girlfriend broke up with you while you wrestled with erectile dysfunction. Were there relationship MedITaTIon of THe Week problems prior to that time? When we “An exciting and inspiring talked by phone, you said yes. The two of future awaits you beyond the you worked a lot, were each other’s arm noise in your mind, beyond candy at social functions, but didn’t enjoy the guilt, doubt, fear, shame, an emotional connection. You argued a insecurity and heaviness of the lot, too. But your mind tied the breakup to past you carry around,” wrote sexual intercourse (after all, there are other Debbie Ford. What still needs to pleasurable sexual activities). Is it possible happen to make this the best the breakup would have happened anyway? year of your life?

Or—take a breath— should the breakup have occurred earlier? Opening your mind to new perspectives frees you to love yourself fully. And that makes it easier to open Write, email or leave a message for your heart to a new woman. Remember Joey at the News & Review. Give your name, telephone number this: A woman who ends a relationship with (for verification purposes only) and question—all you because of sexual intimacy concerns correspondence will be kept strictly confidential. is not rejecting you. She’s admitting that she can’t handle the situation. Don’t be Write Joey, 1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA offended by her honesty, be grateful for it.

95815; call (916) 498-1234, ext. 3206; or email askjoey@newsreview.com.

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Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inside: The 420 49 Review 53 Capital Cannabis Map 58

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Speakeasies and prohibtion Just wanted to know if you can give me some info on these two local speakeasies or breadcrumbs that will lead me in the direction I seek.

—JP I really shouldn’t. These spots exist in a legal gray area (kinda like cannabis clubs back in the day). Dry snitching is almost worse than real snitching. However, if you look for “City of Trees Smokeout” or “Orbitz” on the Instagram, you could probably find the info you are after. I will remind you that these events are for MMJ patients only and you will need a valid letter of recommendation from your doctor plus a California ID. Good luck and have fun.

What’s up with the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration calling medical marijuana a joke? Is he off his meds?

—Jeff He is not off his meds. He is just trying to adjust to the new paradigm while protecting his $2 billion (you heard me: Two. Billion. Dollars.) budget. ICYMI: At a press briefing last week, DEA head Chuck Rosenberg had this to say about medical cannabis: “What really bothers me is the notion that marijuana is also medicinal—because it’s not. We can have an intellectually honest debate about whether we should legalize something that is bad and dangerous, but don’t call it medicine—that is a joke.” A joke?! Really? How he can say these things whilst keeping his face from contorting is beyond me. Has anyone on his staff ever showed him even one of the hundreds of studies showing cannabis to be an effective medicine for a variety of ailments? All he has to do is go to Granny Storm Crow’s super-comprehensive list of cannabis studies (http://grannystormcrows list2014.webs.com) and he will see that his comments are ridiculous. Marijuana has been a good and safe medicine for thousands of years.

That he would continue try to go after marijuana users and the cannabis industry despite the fact that the U.S. government has a new law that is supposed to keep the DEA away from states that have legalized cannabis is despicable. (Last month, the DEA received a scathing rebuke from federal judge Stephen Breyer. He called its attempts to circumvent the new law “counterintuitive and opportunistic.”)

If I was in charge and had just been smacked down by a federal court and had just looked at the results of the DEA’s own 2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary wherein more than 1,000 law enforcement agencies listed marijuana as the lowest threat (6 percent of respondents said marijuana was a problem), maybe I would try to shift my priorities. The DEA is outmoded anyway. Drug abuse is a social-health issue, not a criminal issue. Prohibition creates crime.

There’s a petition on Change.org to try to get Rosenberg replaced. I feel like we need a petition to replace the entire DEA. Ω

The DEA is outmoded.

Ngaio Bealum is a Sacramento comedian, activist and marijuana expert.

Email him questions at ask420@newsreview.com.

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he cultivation of CBD-heavy strains could be instrumental in cultivating mainstream acceptance of medical marijuana. One of the many compounds at work in marijuana, CBD (or cannabidiol) offers all the medical benefits of marijuana without the psychoactive side effects of THC-rich strains. CBD works on the body rather than on the head — that’s bad news if you have tickets to the Pink Floyd laser light show, but it’s great news for sensitive people suffering from PTSD, seizures, arthritis and other disorders.

Care By Design specializes in CBD products, including oils, sprays and vape pen cartridges with varying CBD-toTHC ratios. I tried the company’s 18:1 “CBD-Rich Sublingual Spray.” The only ingredients are organic cannabis oil and coconut oil, and the only instructions are to shake well and spray a couple times under your tongue, slowly increasing the dose “until desired effect is achieved.”

CBD is supposed to be effective against

inflammatory disorders, so let’s see how it works on my sore shoulder.

A test run with the recommended two sprays produced little effect (full disclosure: I’m a human giant), so I doubled down and squeezed two more sprays underneath my tongue. The taste isn’t great but it’s not disgusting either, just leaf and lemon with an oily finish, and a swig of soda erases any lingering unpleasantness.

My muscles felt drowsy after 15 minutes, while my head remained relatively sharp, producing a mindbody separation similar to jet lag.

My muscles felt drowsy after 15 minutes, while my head remained relatively sharp, producing a mind-body separation similar to jet lag. If you want the chill of marijuana without the high, this stuff definitely works.

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Free will astrology

by Daniel Barnes

by rOB Brezsny

FOR THE WEEk OF NOVEMBER 19, 2015 ARIES (March 21-April 19): Urbandictionary.com

defines the English word “balter” as follows: “to dance without particular skill or grace, but with extreme joy.” It’s related to the Danish term baltre, which means “to romp, tumble, roll, cavort.” I nominate this activity to be one of your ruling metaphors in the coming weeks. You have a mandate to explore the frontiers of amusement and bliss, but you have no mandate to be polite and polished as you do it. To generate optimal levels of righteous fun, your experiments may have to be more than a bit rowdy.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You’ve arrived at

a crossroads. From here, you could travel in one of four directions, including back toward where you came from. You shouldn’t stay here indefinitely, but on the other hand you’ll be wise to pause and linger for a while. Steep yourself in the mystery of the transition that looms. Pay special attention to the feelings that rise up as you visualize the experiences that may await you along each path. Are there any holy memories you can call on for guidance? Are you receptive to the tricky inspiration of the fertility spirits that are gathered here? Here’s your motto: Trust, but verify.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): English model and TV

personality Katie Price has been on the planet for just 37 years, but has already written four autobiographies. You Only Live Once, for instance, covers the action-packed time between 2008 and 2010, when she got divorced and then remarried in a romantic Las Vegas ceremony. I propose that we choose this talkative, self-revealing Gemini to be your spirit animal and role model. In the coming weeks, you should go almost to extremes as you express the truth about who you have been, who you are and who you will become.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): A flier on a telephone

pole caught my eye. It showed a photo of a 9-year-old male cat named Bubby, whose face was contorted in pain. A message from Bubby’s owner revealed that her beloved pet desperately needed expensive dental work. She had launched a campaign at gofundme.com to raise the cash.

Of course I broke into tears, as I often do when confronted so viscerally with the suffering of sentient creatures. I longed to donate to Bubby’s well-being. But I thought, “Shouldn’t I funnel my limited funds to a bigger cause, like the World Wildlife Fund?” Back home an hour later, I sent $25 to Bubby. After analyzing the astrological omens for my own sign, Cancer the Crab, I realized that now is a time to adhere to the principle “Think globally, act locally” in every way imaginable.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): How well do you treat

yourself? What do you do to ensure that you receive a steady flow of the nurturing you need?

According to my reading of the astrological omens, you are now primed to expand and intensify your approach to self-care. If you’re alert to the possibilities, you will learn an array of new life-enhancing strategies. Here are two ideas to get you started: (1) Imagine at least three acts of practical love you can bestow on yourself. (2) Give yourself three gifts that will promote your healing and stimulate your pleasure.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): To activate your full

potential in the coming weeks, you don’t need to scuba-dive into an underwater canyon or spelunk into the pitch blackness of a remote cave or head out on an archaeological dig to uncover the lost artifacts of an ancient civilization. But I recommend that you consider trying the metaphorical equivalent of those activities.

Explore the recesses of your own psyche, as well as those of the people you love. Ponder the riddles of the past and rummage around for lost treasure and hidden truths. Penetrate to the core, the gist, the roots. The abyss is much friendlier than usual! You have a talent for delving deep into any mystery that will be important for your future.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Normally I charge

$270-an-hour for the kind of advice I’m about to offer, but I’m giving it to you at no cost. For now, at least, I think you should refrain from relying on experts. Be skeptical of professional opinions and highly paid authorities. The useful information you need will come your way via chance encounters,

playful explorations and gossipy spies. Folk wisdom and street smarts will provide better guidance than elite consultants. Trust curious amateurs; avoid somber careerists.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Some athletes think

it’s unwise to have sex before a big game. They believe it diminishes the raw physical power they need to excel. For them, abstinence is crucial for victory. But scientific studies contradict this theory. There’s evidence that boinking increases testosterone levels for both men and women.

Martial artist Ronda Rousey subscribes to this view. She says she has “as much sex as possible” before a match. Her approach must be working. She has won all but one of her professional fights, and Sports Illustrated calls her “the world’s most dominant athlete.” As you approach your equivalent of the “big game,” Scorpio, I suggest you consider Rousey’s strategy.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you were

embarking on a 100-mile hike, would you wear new boots that you purchased the day before your trip? Of course not. They wouldn’t be broken in. They’d be so stiff and unyielding that your feet would soon be in agony. Instead, you would anchor your trek with supple footwear that had already adjusted to the idiosyncrasies of your gait and anatomy. Apply a similar principle as you prepare to launch a different long-term exploit.

Make yourself as comfortable as possible

Brie Larson (left) in a scene with Jacob Tremblay in the new film Room.

PHOTO BY GEORGE KRAYCHYK, COURTESY OF A24

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Here’s how

Out of the box

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The Confederation

It must be something in the low water reserves. In the last few years, Sacramento has established itself as a breeding ground for world-class actresses like Jessica Chastain, Greta Gerwig and now Brie Larson.

Larson has earned acclaim for her role as Toni Collette’s daughter in the 2009-2011 Showtime series The United States of Tara, and in 2013 as a group home supervisor in the indie film Short Term 12. Now she’s garnering rave reviews and awards buzz for her performance as the kidnap victim Ma in Lenny Abrahamson’s Room, a powerful drama based on the 2010 Emma Donoghue novel by the same name. The film opens Friday, November 20, in Sacramento. Larson talked to SN&R about memories of Sacramento, her bond with Room co-star Jacob Tremblay and her Criterion junkie cinephilia.

Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn begins: “Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.” The preface I’d write for your upcoming adventures would be less extreme, but might have a similar tone. That’s because I expect you to do a lot of meandering. At times your life may seem like a shaggy dog story with no punch line in sight. Your best strategy will be to cultivate an amused patience; to stay relaxed and unflappable as you navigate your way through the enigmas, and not demand easy answers or simple lessons. If you take that approach, intricate answers and many-faceted lessons will eventually arrive.

of African Football prohibits the use of magic by professional soccer teams. Witch doctors are forbidden to be on the field during a match, and they are not supposed to spray elixirs on the goals or bury consecrated talismans beneath the turf. But most teams work around the ban. Magic is viewed as an essential ingredient in developing a winning tradition. Given the current astrological omens, I invite you to experiment with your own personal equivalent of this approach. Don’t scrimp on logical analysis, of course. Don’t stint on your preparation and discipline. But also be mischievously wise enough to call on the help of some crafty mojo.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Slavery is illegal

everywhere in the world. And yet there are more slaves now than at any other time in history: at least 29 million. A disproportionate percentage of them are women and children. After studying your astrological omens, I feel you are in a phase when you can bestow blessings on yourself by responding to this predicament. How? First, express gratitude for all the freedoms you have. Second, vow to take full advantage of those freedoms. Third, brainstorm about how to liberate any part of you that acts or thinks or feels like a slave. Fourth, lend your energy to an organization that helps free slaves. Start here: http://bit.ly/liberateslaves.

You can call Rob Brezsny for your Expanded Weekly Horoscope: (900) 950-7700. $1.99 per minute. Must be 18+. Touchtone phone required. Customer service (612) 373-9785. And don’t forget to check out Rob’s website at www.realastrology.com.

You were born in Sacramento but moved away at age 7. What are your memories of the city?

It’s the first place where I saw acting. It was in the Music Circus—I saw The Sound of Music, and it just blew my mind. I must have been about 5 or 6, and it knocked my socks off. I couldn’t stop talking about it.

That was the very beginning of seeing what kind of future I wanted.

Your co-star Jacob Tremblay gives such an amazing performance, and you two are great together. How did your background as a child actor help you create that bond?

What helped me was a kindred feeling of having a passion for acting at a really young age, a pure, real passion for wanting to tell good stories and tell them honestly.

Jacob doesn’t just want to be some cute kid, he really wants to do interesting, dynamic things, and I related to that. I was never going to talk to him like he was just a kid. … He was always going to be an equal creative force in this process.

We come to understand the plight of Ma, but the film doesn’t give us all the details. How much background did you fill in yourself?

I had to fill in almost all of it. It wasn’t just me, it was Lenny as well, and I’m sure that he was using Emma as a sounding board during that process. Lenny and I were talking about it recently, and we were discussing the marvel that we created Ma from the ground up, like creating an A.I. A lot of that came from talking with experts—we spoke with trauma specialists, nutritionists, doctors … anybody who was willing to help us understand what these types of circumstances would do to the human body and mind.

How do you stay grounded when playing tortured characters like the ones in Room and Short Term 12 ?

Whether you’re playing a happy character or a sad character, as long as you know who you are when you go home at the end of every day, that’s what’s important. With something like Room, I knew that it was going to be a really long, emotional road.

Sometimes these characters can feel like mistletoe on a tree. They’re almost like an infection—they grab on to you and suck all the life force away, and so it’s really important to have an understanding of that appendage, and know how much you’re willing to give to it.

You recently tweeted about your love for the Swedish movie A Pigeon Sat

on a Branch Reflecting on Existence. I wanted to get your take, because it’s my favorite film of the year.

I love that darkly funny tone that shows the absurdity of the human experience, but in a way that’s so deadpan. That movie says everything about the human condition, this idea that we can’t let go of our stuff and accept an idea that there’s something beyond this that doesn’t involve material objects or even our physical bodies. It’s just so smart.

Do you get to watch many films?

I try to. Sometimes it ends up being whatever’s playing on an airplane, so I’m a couple of months behind, but I try to watch whatever I can. I love knowing what’s happened in the past and where we’ve been, but I think that for much of my life, I’ve tuned out what’s happening in the present. I was stuck on all of my movies from the Criterion Collection.

You’ve taken Room to numerous festivals. How many times have you seen the movie by now?

I’ve seen it four times, and I wish I could say I’ve seen it more. I haven’t had time because I usually go somewhere and do interviews while the movie’s playing. I think that with Short Term 12, by the end of all the press that I did, I had seen it 20 times.

It meant different things to me over time, and it’s hard to continue to talk about a movie if you’re not connected to it. If you don’t have that connection, you start to feel like a talking robot giving sound bites.

Even just seeing the end of Room gets me every time, and reminds me why I’m still talking about this movie, why it’s worth talking about. Ω

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