Red Baraat incorporates three drummers, four horns, a guitarist and well-placed electronic effects
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Sensory Explosion
Twice Upon a Time
Charming cast, lush production, no surprises in ‘Cinderella’
Persian New Year
India Joze gears up for the Persian New year
When a Fight is not a Fight
Hate crime at UCSC reveals larger issues
La Gioconda
Authentic Northern Italian in Soquel, plus a dessert and a pastry to melt hearts
Praise Who?
Santa Cruz author Nancy Abrams seeks the most real of all possible gods in her latest book
Ghost of a Smile
Even toddlers like OK Go now. So why is ‘Hungry Ghosts’ their most melancholy record?
Prepped for Launch
Internship ecosystem primes new local tech talent
The Road Goes on Forever
Most people assume that hitchhiking is a long-gone tradition in the 21st century. But in the San Lorenzo Valley, the continued popularity of thumbing it is one example of how things are done a little differently
Spring—Light Equals the Darkness, Pisces New Moon Solar Eclipse
Honoring all fathers, St. Joseph’s Feast Day is Thursday, March 19. On Friday, March 20, spring begins. Less than one hour after the New Moon (29.29 Pisces) total solar eclipse, the Sun enters Aries. It’s spring equinox, the new Spiritual year begins, and we celebrate International Astrology Day. Essential eclipse themes—endings, completions, departures, breakdowns, breakthroughs and revelations.
The gate of Aries, sign of “all things made new” swings open at spring equinox and the primal fiery green force within all life on Earth resurrects. This fiery life force is the hidden mystery of Easter and resurrection. Ancient people believed at the beginning of time/creation, when elements first appeared forming the substance (matter, mater, mother) of our cosmos, the Sun was in Aries.
As spring unfolds, the creative life-giving spiritual essences within humanity and Earth’s kingdoms ascend. Spring initiates (Aries keyword) new life, new hope and vision, the new world order, culture and civilization. Sparks of fire appear at the rootlets of plants, “resurrecting” them “from fire to light to life.” The two first leaves of new plants resemble the sign Aries.
The first day of spring is the first full day of fiery Aries (after Pisces waters—fire and water together form new life), initiating the new spiritual and astrological year (International Astrology Day). A new cycle of time begins in the tropical (seasonal) zodiac. Astrology is the heavenly directional template, the guidepost for beginnings, endings, changes, transformations for humanity.
Aries Sun, spring equinox, Sun at the equator, light equaling darkness, the northward equinox occurring also signal the Iranian new year (Norouz); beginning of the Bahá’í (Naw-Rúz) calendar; Ostara (Germanic spring goddess, giving birth to Yule in nine months); Chunfen (Vernal Equinox) in China. In Maya, it is the “return of the Sun serpent. The ever-moving wheel of the year turns once more. We together, “ascend.” Resurrection begins within all life on Earth.
Sensory Explosion
Red Baraat incorporates three drummers, four horns, a guitarist and well-placed electronic effects The inspiration for the band Red Baraat stretches back decades to when, on a trip to India, founder Sunny Jain first saw an Indian brass band. He was only 5-years-old at the time, but the experience stayed with him. When it came time...
Twice Upon a Time
Charming cast, lush production, no surprises in ‘Cinderella’ With Once Upon A Time still knocking ’em dead on TV, the folks at Disney now realize what profits can be made from repackaging their old cartoon fairy tale classics into new live-action formats. Last year, they tested the cinematic waters with Maleficent, which was bold enough to...
Persian New Year
India Joze gears up for the Persian New year The 42 years that Jozseph Schultz has cooked in Santa Cruz are punctuated by festivals and parties of all kinds, from calamari to chickpeas to edible flowers. This weekend marks the 30th year he’ll throw a festival for the Persian New Year, Now Rooz. GT sat down...
When a Fight is not a Fight
Hate crime at UCSC reveals larger issues When UCSC students shut down traffic on Highway 17 in early March, media coverage was intense. But when a gay male student was brutalized at Kresge College on Feb. 7—leaving him with a dislocated hip, a fractured jaw, broken knuckles, a shattered wrist, and a concussion—it slipped by without...
La Gioconda
Authentic Northern Italian in Soquel, plus a dessert and a pastry to melt hearts A fabulous bowl of fat paccheri pasta—think oversized rigatoni—won our instant approval on a first dinner at the new La Gioconda on Main Street in Soquel. Through its many incarnations the craftsman-bungalow setting has retained its charm. From the personal greeting from...
Praise Who?
Santa Cruz author Nancy Abrams seeks the most real of all possible gods in her latest book Like the cosmos that fascinates her, Nancy Abrams is unfathomably diverse. Schooled in history and the philosophy of science, she’s an author, philosopher, teacher, lawyer, musician, and international mediator whose co-creation of a technique called “scientific mediation” may or...
Ghost of a Smile
Even toddlers like OK Go now. So why is ‘Hungry Ghosts’ their most melancholy record? The first time I heard OK Go was on the 2004 compilation Future Soundtrack for America, the unjustly forgotten “alt bands go political” mix that helped prime a generation of indie kids for Obama’s 2008 youth revolution. Their contribution—a cover of...
Prepped for Launch
Internship ecosystem primes new local tech talent Several days a week, Gregory Ruffin goes downtown to NextSpace, where he sits next to his mentor, Gabriel Kopito, a web developer at local web company Launch Brigade, which specializes in building websites. Under Kopito’s supervision, Ruffin is creating an online automatic billing system. A participant in Launch Brigade’s...
The Road Goes on Forever
Most people assume that hitchhiking is a long-gone tradition in the 21st century. But in the San Lorenzo Valley, the continued popularity of thumbing it is one example of how things are done a little differently The 3:07 p.m. bus was due 15 minutes ago, and Xavier Pujol has been waiting at the Felton bus stop...
Spring—Light Equals the Darkness, Pisces New Moon Solar Eclipse
Honoring all fathers, St. Joseph’s Feast Day is Thursday, March 19. On Friday, March 20, spring begins. Less than one hour after the New Moon (29.29 Pisces) total solar eclipse, the Sun enters Aries. It’s spring equinox, the new Spiritual year begins, and we celebrate International Astrology Day. Essential eclipse themes—endings, completions, departures, breakdowns, breakthroughs and revelations. The...