Page 831 | Good Times

Rob Brezsny Astrology September 20-26

Rob Brezsny

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September 20, 2017

Free Will astrology for the week of September 20, 2017.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Psychologists say most people need a scapegoat—a personification of wickedness and ignorance onto which they can project the unacknowledged darkness in their own hearts. That’s the bad news. Here’s the good news: The coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to neutralize that reflex and at least partially divest yourself of the need for scapegoats. How? The first thing to do is identify your own darkness with courageous clarity. Get to know it better. Converse with it. Negotiate with it. The more conscientiously you deal with that shadowy stuff within you, the less likely you’ll be to demonize other people.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): If the weather turns bad or your allies get sad or the news of the world grows even crazier, you will thrive. I’m not exaggerating or flattering you. It’s exactly when events threaten to demoralize you that you’ll have maximum power to redouble your fortitude and effectiveness. Developments that other people regard as daunting will trigger breakthroughs for you. Your allies’ confusion will mobilize you to manifest your unique visions of what it takes to live a good life.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “If at first you don’t succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried,” declared comedian Steven Wright. My Great Uncle Ned had a different perspective. “If at first you don’t succeed,” he told me, “redefine the meaning of success.” I’m not a fan of Wright’s advice, but Ned’s counsel has served me well. I recommend you try it out, Gemini. Here’s another bit of folk wisdom that might be helpful. Psychotherapist Dick Olney said that what a good therapist does is help her clients wake up from the delusion that they are the image they have of themselves.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): What is home? The poet Elizabeth Corn pondered that question. She then told her lover that home was “the stars on the tip of your tongue, the flowers sprouting from your mouth, the roots entwined in the gaps between your fingers, the ocean echoing inside of your ribcage.” I offer this as inspiration, Cancerian, since now is a perfect time to dream up your own poetic testimonial about home. What experiences make you love yourself best? What situations bring out your most natural exuberance? What influences feel like gifts and blessings? Those are all clues to the beloved riddle “What is home?”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You’re most likely to thrive if you weave together a variety of styles and methods. The coming weeks will be a highly miscellaneous time, and you can’t afford to get stuck in any single persona or approach. As an example of how to proceed, I invite you to borrow from both the thoughtful wisdom of the ancient Greek poet Homer and the silly wisdom of the cartoon character Homer Simpson. First, the poet: “As we learn, we must daily unlearn something which it has cost us no small labor and anxiety to acquire.” Now here’s Homer Simpson: “Every time I learn something new, it pushes out something old.”

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Filmmakers often have test audiences evaluate their product before releasing it to the masses. If a lot of viewers express a particular critique, the filmmaker may make changes, even cutting out certain scenes or altering the ending. You might want to try a similar tack in the coming weeks, Virgo. Solicit feedback on the new projects and trends you’ve been working on—not just from anyone, of course, but rather from smart people who respect you. And be sure they’re not inclined to tell you only what you want to hear. Get yourself in the mood to treasure honesty and objectivity.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The poet E. E. Cummings said, “To be nobody-but-yourself—in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else—means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.” On the other hand, naturalist and writer Henry David Thoreau declared that “We are constantly invited to be who we are,” to become “something worthy and noble.” So which of these two views is correct? Is fate aligned against us, working hard to prevent us from knowing and showing our authentic self? Or is fate forever conspiring in our behalf, seducing us to master our fullest expression? I’m not sure if there’s a final, definitive answer, but I can tell you this, Libra: In the coming months, Thoreau’s view will be your predominant truth.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “When you do your best, you’re depending to a large extent on your unconscious, because you’re waiting for the thing you can’t think of.” So said Scorpio director Mike Nichols in describing his process of making films. Now I’m conveying this idea to you just in time for the beginning of a phase I call “Eruptions from Your Unconscious.” In the coming weeks, you will be ripe to receive and make good use of messages from the depths of your psyche. At any other time, these simmering bits of brilliance might remain below the threshold of your awareness, but for the foreseeable future they’ll be bursting through and making themselves available to be plucked.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Author Barbara Ehrenreich has done extensive research on the annals of partying. She says modern historians are astounded by the prodigious amount of time that medieval Europeans spent having fun together. “People feasted, drank, and danced for days on end,” she writes. Seventeenth-century Spaniards celebrated festivals five months of each year. In 16th-century France, peasants devoted an average of one day out of every four to “carnival revelry.” In accordance with current astrological omens, you Sagittarians are authorized to match those levels of conviviality in the coming weeks.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Kittens made French Emperor Napoleon III lose his composure. He shook and screamed around them. Butterflies scare actress Nicole Kidman. My friend Allie is frightened by photos of Donald Trump. As for me, I have an unnatural fear of watching reality TV. What about you, Capricorn? Are you susceptible to any odd anxieties or nervous fantasies that provoke agitation? If so, the coming weeks will be a perfect time to overcome them. Why? Because you’ll be host to an unprecedented slow-motion outbreak of courage that you can use to free yourself from long-standing worries.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “The brain is wider than the sky,” wrote Emily Dickinson. “The brain is deeper than the sea.” I hope you cultivate a vivid awareness of those truths in the coming days, Aquarius. In order to accomplish the improbable tasks you have ahead of you, you’ve got to unleash your imagination, allowing it to bloom to its full power so it can encompass vast expanses and delve down into hidden abysses. Try this visualization exercise: Picture yourself bigger than the planet Earth, holding it tenderly in your hands.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I got an email from a fan of Piscean singer Rihanna. He complained that my horoscopes rarely mention celebrities. “People love astrological predictions about big stars,” he wrote. “So what’s your problem? Are you too ‘cultured’ to give us what we the people really want? Get off your high horse and ‘lower’ yourself to writing about our heroes. You could start with the lovely, talented, and very rich Rihanna.” I told Rihanna’s fan that my advice for mega-stars is sometimes different from what it is for average folks. For Piscean mega-stars like Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Ellen Page, and Bryan Cranston, for example, the coming weeks will be a time to lay low, chill out, and recharge. But non-famous Pisceans will have prime opportunities to boost their reputation, expand their reach, and wield a stronger-than-usual influence in the domains they frequent.

Homework: Imagine what your life would be like if you licked your worst fear. Describe this new world to me. Tr**********@***il.com

‘Brew for David’ Session IPAs Aid Brewer’s Recovery

Food & Drink

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September 20, 2017

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‘Brew for David’ Session IPAs Aid Brewer’s Recovery

Santa Cruz County’s craft beer industry is a supportive community, whether they’re collaborating on a beer or sharing knowledge and equipment. Now, local breweries are rallying to support beloved brewer David Purgason while he recovers from a terrible accident.

Purgason began brewing professionally at local breweries after he graduated from UCSC in 2012. Friendly and talented, with an easy smile, he quickly became a central member of the brewing community. After building a fan base for their homebrews, he and his partner were looking forward to opening their own brewery, Fruition, when in early July Purgason suffered horrible burns while brewing at Venus Spirits. The incident devastated him physically, and has left him on a long road to recovery.

“Everyone at every brewery emailed me asking what they could do to help David and [his partner] Tallula,” says Brittany Crass of Shanty Shack Brewing, a close friend. “At the time, there wasn’t much we could do while he was in the hospital. But now, we can brew beer!”

Spearheaded by Crass, local breweries decided to create their own takes on a “Brew For David” Session IPA, Purgason’s favorite beer style. Nine local breweries and Venus Spirits also collaborated on the “Brewers Unite for David” Session IPA. All of the proceeds from these beers, each bearing a quirky David-esque name or inside joke, will be donated to the Valley Medical Center fund set up for him.

In addition to being available at the breweries, several fundraising events will showcase these one-off brews. On Wednesday, Sept. 20, Lúpulo Craft Beer House will host the Brew For David Tap Takeover, with tasting flights of all-David beers. On Thursday, September 21, Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing is pouring the collaboration beer, along with a special release form SCMB for the Raise A Glass for David event. Venus Spirits is hosting Cocktailbeerfest, with cocktails, beer, food and music on Saturday, Sept. 30. Beer Thirty Bottle Shop & Pourhouse is also pouring David beers as they become available.

Purgason is humbled by the huge outpouring of love from the community. “The incredible support of the brewing community has been amazing, and has truly showed that we are a family, sharing this passion that brings people together. I feel so fortunate to be alive and to be a part of it.”

FashionART Santa Cruz Returns to the Runway

Cover Stories

Maria Grusauskas

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September 19, 2017

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FashionART Santa Cruz Returns to the Runway

Witnessing Santa Cruz’s annual fall FashionART runway show is as close to a psychedelic experience as you can get without ingesting potent, mood-changing chemicals or having to wait 12 hours for them to wear off. That’s not to say this visual feast of color and supernatural imagination won’t implant long-lasting images in one’s occipital lobe.

FashionART Santa Cruz Fley Tchaco and Hill Tribe Fusion — Left: ‘Modern Ethnic Fashion’ by Fely Tchaco. Right: ‘Black and White Collection’ by Hill Tribe Fusion. PHOTO: JANA MARCUS

Also, anything can happen. I realized this at my first-ever FashionART experience back in 2012—somewhere between the obscured flash of bare buns beneath black erosion-control cloth and aluminum tubing of producer Angelo Grova’s “Eurasia” and the emergence of the Great Morgani, amphibious in full-body snakeskin and teetering on foot-high “fantasy heels” at a time when only Lady Gaga had lived to tell the tale.

FashionART Santa Cruz Kay Holz — ‘Story Coat Collection’ by Kay Holz. PHOTO: JANA MARCUS

Santa Cruz’s now 11-year-old merging of fashion and art can feel, at times, like plunging into an underwater dreamscape streaming jellyfish tentacles and glints of silver, and at others, a forward-thinking musing on what style and self-expression mean to Santa Cruz—materializing out of denim and lace rescued from a grandmother’s trunk, upcycled candy wrappers and skilled repurposings of the outlawed plastic bag.

While the lasting imprint of 2016’s pairing of animal horns and Tim Burton-esque finger extensions (from Hill Tribe Fusion’s “Black and White Collection,” featured on this week’s cover) show no signs of fading away, the magical mystery tour that is FashionART 2017 prepares to take off on Saturday, Sept. 23.

Eight designers and 12 artists hailing from Santa Cruz and the Bay Area—a mix of experienced veterans and newbies—will participate this year, says local designer Christina Morgan Cree. Cree, who has taken the reigns as executive director this year, has added a 2018 FashionART calendar, which features photos by Jana Marcus from various years throughout FashionART history—available online and at the show—as well as discounted tickets for students and seniors. A portion of ticket sales go to the nonprofit Santa Cruz Education Foundation. This year’s show, which begins at 7 p.m. at the Civic Auditorium, also promises stained glass, aliens, a sprinkling of steampunk, “geek couture,” models of all shapes and sizes, a trunk show, and the return of the Great Morgani, who just celebrated his 75th birthday. The rest is anyone’s guess.

Info: FashionART Santa Cruz 2017 is at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23 at the Civic Auditorium. Tickets are $20-$35.50 on santacruztickets.com. A portion of ticket sales go to the nonprofit Santa Cruz Education Foundation. Lineup and more at fashionartsantacruz.org.

Street Smarts Campaign Launches to Make Santa Cruz Streets Safer

Local News

Jacob Pierce

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September 19, 2017

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Street Smarts Campaign Launches to Make Santa Cruz Streets Safer

Amber Gillespie, who doesn’t drive, envisions a Santa Cruz that’s a little easier and safer to navigate without a car.

“I’m hoping to see more bikers and pedestrians, and more awareness of bikers and pedestrians—those who are most vulnerable on the roads,” says Gillespie, wistfully, at a Kaiser Permanente Arena event to raise awareness about road safety. Her daughter Isa sits on a Santa Cruz Police motorcycle, pretending to drive around the basketball court, as officers stand by smiling.

It’s Wednesday, Sept. 13, the official kickoff of the city’s new Street Smarts campaign, developed by the Santa Cruz Public Works Department, and the message seems to be resonating.

“It’s just important for people to see that everyone’s safety is important to everyone in the community,” says 42-year-old Eric Stettmeier, as he grips his Return of the Jedi skateboard by its front truck. His daughter Darla is throwing and chasing down a balsa wood airplane prize that she won after correctly answering a road safety question at the Santa Cruz Police table nearby. The police booth is one of 14 at the event promoting safer ways to get around—with groups like Ecology Action and Bike Santa Cruz County in attendance. A couple tables down from the cops, AT&T is providing demonstrations on virtual reality headsets that let participants see firsthand the alarming perils of distracted driving. And Stettmeier especially appreciates a thumb band that workers at the Street Smarts table are handing out to remind people not to text while driving.

Everyone with a driver’s license already knows that driving safely is a smart idea. So hanging up banners and running newspaper advertisements—as the city has been doing for the past few months—may sound like a half-baked approach to changing driver habits, one that could not really make a difference compared to the kinds of construction projects that truly transform how we get around.

But Janice Bisgaard, spokesperson for the department, notes Santa Cruz does already have infrastructure changes in the works to make way for safer traveling. The city’s first ever bike box went into the Seabright and Soquel Avenue intersection, and the Branciforte Creek bicycle and pedestrian bridge is now open to the public, with plenty more projects on the way. “But education can do a lot more,” she says.

The nascent Street Smarts effort—modeled after nationwide campaigns to get people to start recycling and wearing seatbelts—focuses on eight core issues. “They include things like unsafe speed, distracted driving and not following the rules of the road, like stop sign compliance,” Bisgaard says.

Many drivers, she says, don’t know that it’s the law to stop for pedestrians, whenever they stand waiting at two adjacent corners, even if there is no official crosswalk striped onto the asphalt. “You have to yield. Every corner is a legal crosswalk,” says Bisgaard, who came up with the Street Smarts concept. “And you can be ticketed or hurt someone.”

Many young people, she notes, bury their faces into their phone screens while walking around town and don’t realize the importance of looking up before crossing the street—another core issue of the campaign.

Street Smarts’ first year is funded by $36,000 in public works money, with an additional $12,500 in corporate sponsorships, Bisgaard says. In the future, she adds, city staffers hope to fully fund it through grants.

The public works department is putting the campaign under the umbrella of a rebranding for the city’s transportation efforts that staffers are calling Go Santa Cruz. With a portal on the city’s website, Go Santa Cruz offers information for all commuters, whether or not they drive. Street Smarts is also targeting drivers, pedestrians and bikers—with the eventual hope of maybe even one day reaching those certain cyclists who bike the wrong way, against traffic, with both earphones in, no helmet and no regard for what’s happening around them.

Go Santa Cruz also includes the city’s efforts to get the word out about new projects. The new bike and pedestrian bridge—the last remaining link in the San Lorenzo River Walkway—will have an official ribbon cutting on Thursday, Sept. 28.

The approach may also include some teachable moments. In the coming months, middle school students will start meeting at after-school clubs, through Street Smarts, to plan school assemblies about road safety. They’ll perform them for elementary school students in early 2018.

Public Works Director Mark Dettle says he’s optimistic that it will change habits of people on the roads.

“It’s not your normal ‘pay attention.’ It’s got a little edge to it,” says Dettle, sporting a necktie that depicts school buses and children crossing the street. “We hope it works. We’re going to be looking at where it affects traffic collisions the most, and working with the Police Department, who will tell us whether or not incidents of distracted driving go down. Even if this prevents a few crashes, that’s a good thing.”

There will be a ribbon cutting for the Branciforte Creek bicycle and pedestrian bridge at noon on Thursday, Sept. 28.

Michael Franti Headlines Mountain Sol Festival

A&E
Music

Steve Palopoli

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September 19, 2017

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Michael Franti Headlines Mountain Sol Festival

Michael Franti’s legacy may very well be his gift for perfectly timed political anthems that capture the zeitgeist by combining his passion for music and activism. The first of these, a rap cover of Dead Kennedys’ “California Uber Alles” that he did with his band the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy in 1991, announced this talent with a heavy dose of seething rage. Franti rewrote the lyrics to Jello Biafra’s anti-Jerry-Brown dystopian fantasy, turning it into a grittier, more realistic, but every bit as vicious takedown of then-governor Pete Wilson: “I got a plan for the minorities/Send ’em to the California Youth Authorities/From San Francisco Urban Elementary/To Pelican Bay State Penitentiary.”

But what Franti realized when he formed Spearhead in 1994 is that rage isn’t everything. There was a disconnect, he discovered, between his political intention and his empathy.

“I might have been playing stuff that identified the prison-industrial complex,” says Franti by phone from his San Francisco home, “but back then I wasn’t playing in prisons. Now I play in prisons all the time. And when I play in prisons, they don’t want to hear songs about prison. They want to hear songs about how much they miss their girlfriends. It’s one thing to do a song like ‘California Uber Alles,’ where all my activist friends get it and love it. But I play in Kansas City, and people there are like ‘What the fuck is he talking about?’”

Perhaps that’s why his next musical anthem to masterfully distill a moment was delivered in the form of a mellow groove and a lyrical question. “Positive,” off Spearhead’s 1994 debut Home, brought a nation’s mostly unspoken fear of HIV to the airwaves: “How am I gonna live my life if I’m positive/Is it gonna be a negative?”

Still, it wasn’t enough. The story of how Franti evolved as a musician from the Beatnigs—a mid-’80s spoken-word, punk-noise band with a small cult following in the Bay Area—to frontman for a festival-headlining hip-hop/funk-rock/reggae-soul jam band with a large and devoted fanbase is also the story of his personal evolution. The turning point came at an unlikely time—the day after 9/11—and in an unexpected form: Franti discovered yoga.

“When I first started with the Beatnigs, I was just this angry punk rock kid who didn’t know how to play any instruments, so we just started beating on pieces of metal and shouting on top of them,” he says. “Yoga became a part of my life at a time when I was feeling broken down physically. I was feeling emotionally blocked, and that blockage was just making me feel like an angry, pissed off person all the time. And I didn’t want to be that. Yoga became a way for me to take care of my body and to meditate.”

Not long after, Franti wrote what would go on to be his most famous protest song, “Bomb the World,” a Marvin Gaye-esque plea for an end to “military madness” that declared: “We can chase down our enemies/Bring them to their knees/We can bomb the world to pieces/But we can’t bomb it into peace.” The song was released on Spearhead’s 2003 album Everyone Deserves Music, and its chorus quickly spread around the world—seen on signs, T-shirts and CNN.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that yoga had such a profound effect on Franti’s life and career, as he had been looking for years for a way to bridge that disconnect between musician and audience.

“The ultimate goal of yoga is to connect—your ability to connect your heart to the world, and to God, and to nature, and to your fellow humans. That is the end goal of yoga. People can do all kinds of shapes and cool tricks, but the whole purpose of yoga was to open up your body so you could sit and meditate for long periods of time. And then through that meditation be able to find Ahimsa, which is nonviolence, and do Seva, which is giving back to your community,” says Franti. “All these things became part of my musical dialogue as well—how can I connect to people who don’t necessarily understand where I’m coming from? That’s why my music has evolved.”

There can be no doubt that Franti is practicing what he preaches: on the day of every show, Franti leads a yoga session with fans who want to participate.

“We have what we call a ‘meet-up,’” says Franti. “It’s kind of like a yoga tailgating party. People bring their Frisbees and their boomboxes, and then 100 people roll out their yoga mats. Then we share food afterward, and people hang out and talk. It’s just a great way for what we call our ‘soul rocker’ community to hook up.”

MOUNTAIN SOL FESTIVAL

Saturday, Sept. 23: Afrolicious (11:30 a.m.), Anuhea (12:30 p.m.), Cyril Neville and Swampfunk ( 2 p.m.), Los Amigos Invisibles (3:30 p.m.), Michael Franti (5 p.m.).

Sunday: Sept. 24: Nth Power (11:30 a.m.), Elephant Revival (12:30 p.m.), Nahko and Medicine for the People (2 p.m.), the California Honeydrops (3:30 p.m.), the Wailers (5 p.m.).

Gates open at 11 a.m. both days. Festival passes are $65 for single day, $120 for both days. There are discounted youth tickets and camping passes available; go to santacruzmountainsol.com for more details and tickets.

Preview: Y La Bamba to Play Don Quixote’s

A&E
Music

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September 19, 2017

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Preview: Y La Bamba to Play Don Quixote’s

It’s not uncommon for a band to take a hiatus, and then return with a new album that incorporates new influences into the mix. That’s what Portland’s Y La Bamba did for Ojos Del Sol, which arrives four years after their last record. But this time, the most striking change is not the music, but singer Luz Elena Mendoza’s voice.

Not only have the timbre and tone changed; it’s also the way she uses her voice that’s different. It’s blended into the music as though it were another instrument in the ensemble.

When I ask Mendoza about her singing on this record, she responds with so much urgency, I think she’s been waiting for this question the entire interview.

“That right there is a representation of how I’m healing through trauma,” she says. We had talked already about how she’s spent time working through her childhood traumas, and the pain of being a person of color living in the United States, and the difficulty of being a creative woman in the music industry.

Her voice, she says, has literally changed as a result of all this. “We as human beings have trapped trauma in our bodies. When you’re in trauma, when you live in fear, and you are scared, you don’t know how to exercise your voice,” she says. “You find a new way to express yourself.”

The record, which is the third for the Portland group, is a confident, powerful recording, a true mixture of styles and influences. There are elements of folk, indie, Latin music, and psych-pop, and the music has a meditative-like repetition to it. It spirals in circles and builds off of itself, flirting with pop in a subtly avant-garde manner.

The title track, Mendoza says, was written first. The song came to her one night, along with a flood of tears, and took her two hours to finish.

“It’s the reason why I recorded the record,” she says. “I thought of my mom, my dad, always trying to heal. Having a really strong Mexican-American background, and being Mexican-American, I feel like I carry those memories with me all the time.”

The song, which is in Spanish, is a meditation on her family, and the deep feelings she has for them. She asks for peace for her madre, padre y hermanos, and says no hay nadie como tú (“there is no one like you.”) It’s a touching, emotive ballad.

There have always been songs in both English and Spanish on Y La Bamba’s records. But this is the first record that has a song (“Libre”) that goes back and forth between languages. It’s a genuine melding of Mendoza’s cultures and identities, something that’s been a theme of her music since day one. On the song, she brought in a choir of her female friends to sing backing vocals on the track. Not all of them spoke Spanish, but they learned enough to sing the song.

“Women are very present on this record. This is so powerful for me,” Mendoza says. “Beyond cool. It’s something that’s beautiful, and really I would like more of that sharing instead of hostility.”

The group of friends sang together in a chant-like style. The lyrics are abstract, as she’s describing a dream. It’s joyous, and feels profound without any clear indication of what it’s shedding light onto.

Even though Y La Bamba took a hiatus for four years, Mendoza wasn’t exactly keeping a low profile. She was involved in several collaborations, which only helped broaden her senses and influence her style as an artist. Many of the people she collaborated with brought her closer to her heritage as a Latina-American. For instance, she worked with Los Dreamers, a group formed by Raul Pacheco of Ozomatli and Shawn King of DeVotchKa.

“It’s a collaboration of multiple artists from first-generation backgrounds that talk about immigration and immigration rights, creating an awareness for immigration,” she says. “A lot of the projects I’ve had, I’m really open with really exploring and healing and diving into people of color, and not creating any separation—just having that different knowledge for how we can heal and come together as the Latin community, through music and art.”

INFO: Y La Bamba performs on Wednesday, Sept. 27, at 7:30 p.m. at Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9 in Felton. $10/door.

Home’s Kitchen Garden Doubles as a Classroom

Christina Waters

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September 19, 2017

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Home’s Kitchen Garden Doubles as a Classroom

A great idea in growing food vocabularies. The creative team at Chef Brad Briske’s Soquel dining room, Home, have cooked up something ambitious—a Bilingual Gardening and Cooking Class for Kids that unfolds during four Monday afternoons starting Oct. 2.

“We have noticed a need for more Spanish speaking environments,” the Home team announced, with an eye toward young ones learning Spanish as a second language as well as interesting after-school environments for native Spanish speakers. The innovative program involves outdoor gardening as well as interactive Latin American cooking with native Spanish speaker and chef Diego Felix. Targeting 5-9-year-olds, the four-week session runs every Monday, from 3-5 p.m. $85 for complete session. If you’ve got inquiring young ones, this sounds like something special. To reserve your place, email in**@********el.com, or call Linda at 334-2134.

Aptos Changeover

Coming and going so quickly it gave some diners whiplash, Bella Vista in the high-mileage Aptos landmark Bayview Hotel, has closed its doors. For many of us who fondly remember the substantial comfort food of the long ago Bayview’s family-style Italian dinners, the wonder is why so many “restaurateurs” just don’t quite get it right at this historic location.

Meanwhile, armed with a popular working hypothesis, the entrepreneurs of Parish Public House (holding down the lively corner of the Almar Avenue complex on the Westside), are taking their social skills to the former Kauboi (former Britannia Arms) and hope to get the doors open in the very near future, i.e. by the end of the month. Aptos neighbors are sure to have their mouths watering for some of Parish’s signature burgers, sandwiches and classic pub fare. Fingers crossed!

Holy Mole

You probably already knew this, but according to the judges at last weekend’s Mole and Mariachi Festival, our region’s top mole sauce is from Margaritaville, with Mickey’s Cafe and Catering the runner-up. Congratulations to all—a great mole is a thing of zesty joy. So make plans to sample mole at Margaritaville—along with something in the key of tequila—in the near future.

Bargain of the Week

That would be the surprisingly drinkable 2012 Pinot Noir from Primarius in Oregon. At a light 12 percent alcohol, this Pinot manages to deliver good fruit and a pleasant bouquet of berries and plums. Available along with lots of other affordable wines on the bargain rack at Shopper’s Corner. Thank you Andre and company!

Burger of the Week

The house burger served with insanely delicious thin, crisp fries at West End Tap & Kitchen. Made with grass fed, pasture-raised beef, and served on a Gayle’s challah bun, this baby is juicy sin for $13. We like to add cheddar and caramelized onions for a few dollars more.]

Pastry of the Week

Gayle’s reels me in. Can’t help it. While my buddy Lisa succumbs to the strawberry shortcake scone, I opt for the full-figured cheese Danish with a dollop of blueberry jam in the center. The tender pastry is not too sweet, and the creamy cheese center is the sort of creation that makes a calorie proud to be a calorie. $4-ish. Get coffee, sit down, and take some quality time with that danish. Bliss.

Pinot Paradise Alert!

Make plans to join fellow Pinot lovers from 5-9 p.m. on Sept. 23, Pinot Paradise Harvest Dinner at Lester Family Vineyards in Corralitos. Start with a reception featuring wines from 11 Santa Cruz Mountains wineries, followed by a multi-course dinner by Tanya DeCell from Original Sin. All proceeds from the $150-per-person event will benefit Hospice of Santa Cruz County. Tix at scmwa.com.

Dilated Pupil 2017

Special Publications

GT Staff

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September 18, 2017

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[dropcap]G[/dropcap]ather round, oh ye students! Let me tell you the legends of the Slug life. Like the Kresge College of old, still celebrated in verse and song, when the anarchism flowed freely, nudity was expected, and students wandered through Kresge Day in a hallucinogenic haze. Actually, just read about it in this issue of Dilated Pupil, as Georgia Johnson explores the cultural history of UCSC’s wildest college. Elsewhere, Richard Stockton explores the question of how much protest is too much, and whether it’s okay to sabotage the machinery of government if the machinery really, really deserves it. Plus, learn about UCSC’s secret soft spot for sports, and find absolutely everything you’ll need in Santa Cruz. Time to get dilated, pupil!

STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR

In this issue:

HIGHER LEARNING: The altered state of Kresge College: a history

OPERS SEASON: The truth about UCSC sports

I MUST PROTEST: 2, 4, 6, 8, this is how I smashed the state

Opinion September 13, 2017

Steve Palopoli

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September 13, 2017

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EDITOR’S NOTE

We’ve been wanting to do this story on Mt. Umunhum for a year. Aaron Carnes, a guy who likes to go on 100-mile hikes—and is, incidentally, nuts—heard about the long-awaited re-opening to the public of the tallest peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains in early 2016, and immediately wanted to be the first person to hike it, and write a story about the experience.

Yeah … since it’s now September of 2017, you can imagine that didn’t exactly go as planned. First, the opening of the trail up Mt. Umunhum was delayed while the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District finished improvements. Then there was some odd back-and-forth trying to get him up there—which ironically culminated in me having to agree to an embargo promising I wouldn’t publish this story before this week (and from their tone, they seemed really convinced we were trying to pull some kind of fast one on them, despite the fact that we’ve been trying to work with them on this for so long. Uh, no.)

Whatever, they turned out to give us probably the best guide we could have asked for, so who cares? Did Aaron live his dream of being the first person to hike the new Mt. Umunhum trail—or at the least the first, as he puts it, “civilian?” Is it the greatest hike you’re likely to find in the Santa Cruz Mountains? I won’t spoil anything; read on and find out.

STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Read the latest letters to the editor here.

Service Solution

Re: “The Santa Cruz Restaurant Crisis”: If restaurateurs in Santa Cruz are having such a hard time finding workers, they might consider looking at an older generation than the twentysomethings. I have 12 years experience working in the restaurant industry—everything from dishwasher to assistant manager. Yet, because I have grey hair, I have been unable to find work as a hostess/server. I love the restaurant industry! I made lots of money “back in the day” working as a server because every customer was me, and I know how I like to be treated when I go to a restaurant. There are probably many other older people in this town who could better serve the restaurateurs because they have experience. There is no shortage of labor; there is a shortage of creative thinking!

Give me a shout if you are interested in an experienced restaurant worker. And I know others who would love to again work in the restaurant industry.

Roberta L. McGrath

Santa Cruz

Climate Check

Re: “Living on the Edge” (GT, 8/23): I’m an astronomer and teach a course in climate science at Cabrillo College each semester. It’s unfortunate that Dr. Griggs in his talk at the Rio this spring, and presumably in his book as well, does not highlight the newer and far better data we have on sea level rise. There was zero mention of how his numbers conflict with the current evidence. Griggs’ “2-3-foot rise by 2100” seems right out of the old IPCC AR5 report circa 2013. IPCC models of ice behavior miss many key non-linear processes, and thus underpredict what we see. Example: IPCC models predicted we would not lose Arctic Ocean ice until 2100, but in fact it has plummeted to the point it may be gone inside 10 years. It also neglects the new (2014) data showing the un-grounding of the West Antarctic ice sheet, dooming us to 12-14 feet of sea level rise from this source alone over the next one to two centuries. It also neglects the more detailed analysis by former NASA GISS head Dr. James Hansen and his team of 18 co-authors (2016), showing that glacial melt processes are most consistent not with the slow sea-level rise acceleration of the IPCC models, but instead with a doubling time of roughly 10 years, predicting “multi-meter” sea-level rise in a time frame of 50-150 years. We will not motivate sufficiently to face up to our future if we continue to underplay what we face.

Richard Nolthenius | Chair of Cabrillo College Astronomy

The Logos Life

Re: “Final Chapter” (GT, 7/18): The aroma of old books and pine in the morning hangs in the air, while the employees deliberate every kind of book from math to social conscience. A safe place for Marx to embrace Hegel, for math to deviate to the Chaos Theory of Dr. Abraham, and for ancient philosophy to meet “Blossoms in the Spring” that I enjoy reading by the surfer statue on the cliff. The music playing at the store often comes from old. Is it Jerry Garcia or disco demolition? It doesn’t matter. Save the vinyl! Wine on Wednesday heals my soul. Logos brought me a life I never knew I would miss in this soon-to-be-autumn season. Thank you, Logos staff; John Livingston; Logos customers; and thank you, Santa Cruz.

Chris Garner | Denver, CO

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

Submit to ph****@*******es.sc. Include information (location, etc.) and your name. Photos may be cropped. Preferably, photos should be 4 inches by 4 inches and minimum 250dpi.

GOOD IDEA

CLIFF HANGER
Highway 35, also known as Bear Creek Road, will be closed through Wednesday, Sept. 20, to repair the roadway slip-out from last winter’s storms, according to CalTrans. Cars are being detoured down Black Road for an alternate route, and electronic message signs are posted alerting motorists. Granite Construction of Watsonville is handling the $7,000,000 project.

GOOD WORK

POT SHOT
The cannabis draft EIR is out on proposed regulations for commercial weed cultivation and manufacturing. The comment period for the draft runs through Oct. 16 at 5 p.m., via email or hard copy. The county-held public information meeting was last week. To submit comments during the 45-day review period online, email ca*********@*************ty.us. The draft EIR is available for review at santacruzcounty.us/cannabiseir.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“You never climb a mountain on accident.”
-Mark Udall

Rob Brezsny’s Astrology Sept 13 -19

Rob Brezsny

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September 13, 2017

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Free Will astrology for the week of September 13, 2017.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Two animals are pictured prominently on Australia’s coat of arms: the kangaroo and the large flightless bird known as the emu. One of the reasons they were chosen is that both creatures rarely walk backward. They move forward or not at all. Australia’s founders wanted this to symbolize the nation’s pledge to never look back, to remain focused on advancing toward the future. The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to make a similar commitment, Aries. Is there a new symbol you might adopt to inspire your intention?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The Simpsons is an animated sitcom that will soon begin its 29th consecutive year on TV. During its run, it has told over 600 stories. The creators of another animated sitcom, South Park, once did an episode entitled “Simpsons Already Did It,” which referenced their feelings that it was hard to come up with new tales because their rival had already used so many good ones. I bring this up, Taurus, because I suspect your life story will soon be spinning out novel plots that have never before been seen, not even on The Simpsons or South Park. You could and should be the Best Storyteller of the Month.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Love won’t exactly be free in the coming weeks, but there should be some good deals. And I’m not referring to risky black-market stuff obtained in back alleys, either. I mean straightforward liaisons and intriguing intimacy at a reasonable cost. So if you’re comfortably mated, I suggest you invest in a campaign to bring more comedy and adventure into your collaborative efforts. If you’re single, wipe that love-starved look off your face and do some exuberant window-shopping. If you’re neither comfortably mated nor single, money may temporarily be able to buy you a bit more happiness.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The current state of your fate reminds me of the sweet confusion alluded to in Octavio Paz’s poem “Between Going and Staying”: “All is visible and elusive, all is near and can’t be touched.” For another clue to the raw truth of your life right now, I’ll quote the poet William Wordsworth. He spoke of “fleeting moods of shadowy exultation.” Is the aura described by Paz and Wordsworth a problem that you should try to fix? Is it detrimental to your heroic quest? I don’t think so. Just the opposite, really: I hope you can hang out for a while in this pregnant mystery—between the yes and the no, between the dark and the light, between the dream and the reality. It will help you learn what you’ve been too restless to tune in to in the past.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The imminent future will be a favorable time for refurbished models and revived originals. They are likely to be more fun and interesting the second time around. I suspect that this will also be an auspicious phase for substitutes and alternatives. They may even turn out to be better than the so-called real things they replace. So be artful in formulating Plan B and Plan C, Leo. Switching over to backups may ultimately bring out more of the best in you and whisk you toward your ultimate goal in unexpected ways.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In the coming weeks, you might want to read the last few pages of a book before you decide to actually dive in and devour the whole thing. I also suggest you take what I just said as a useful metaphor to apply in other areas. In general, it might be wise to surmise the probable outcomes of games, adventures, and experiments before you get totally involved. Try this fun exercise: Imagine you are a psychic prophet as you evaluate the long-range prospects of any influences that are vying to play a role in your future.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Dear Dr. Astrology: I’m feeling lost, but am also feeling very close to finding my new direction. It hurts! It would be so helpful if I could just catch a glimpse of that new direction. I’d be able to better endure the pain and confusion if I could get a tangible sense of the future happiness that my pain and confusion are preparing me for. Can you offer me any free advice? -Lost Libra.” Dear Libra: The pain and confusion come from the dying of the old ways. They need to die a bit more before the new direction will reveal itself clearly. I predict that will happen soon—no later than Oct. 1.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Welcome to “Compose Your Own Oracle,” a special edition of Free Will Astrology. Departing from tradition, I’m temporarily stepping aside so you can have the freedom to write the exact horoscope you want. Normally, you might be in danger of falling victim to presumptuous arrogance if you imagined you could wield complete control over how your destiny unfolds. But in the days ahead, that rule won’t be as unyielding, because cosmic forces will be giving you more slack than usual. Fate and karma, which frequently impel you to act according to patterns that were set in place long ago, are giving you at least a partial respite. To get the maximum benefit out of “Compose Your Own Oracle,” identify three plot developments you’d like to weave into a self-fulfilling prophecy for your immediate future. Then start weaving.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Almost two-thirds of us confess that if we are alone, we might sip milk directly from the carton rather than first pouring it into a glass. Fourteen percent of us have used milk as part of our sexual activities. One out of every five of us admit that we have “borrowed” someone else’s milk from the fridge at work. Most shockingly, four percent of us brag that we have blown milk out our noses on purpose. I expect that in the next two weeks, you Sagittarians will exceed all of these norms. Not just because you’ll be in the mood to engage in mischievous experiments and playful adventures with milk, but because you’re likely to have a loosey-goosey relationship with almost everything.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The coming weeks will an excellent time for you to raise funds in support of political prisoners, or to volunteer at a soup kitchen, or to donate blood at a blood bank. In fact, any charitable service you perform for people you don’t know will be excellent for your physical and mental health. You can also generate vivid blessings for yourself by being extra thoughtful, kind, and generous toward people you care for. You’re in a phase of your astrological cycle when unselfish acts will yield maximum selfish benefits.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In his novel The Jungle, muckraker Upton Sinclair (1878-1968) exposed the abominable hygiene and working conditions of the meat-packing industry. The uproar that followed led to corrective legislation by the U.S. Congress. Sinclair remained devoted to serving the public good throughout his career. He liked to say that the term “social justice” was inscribed on his heart. Drawing from his inspiration, Aquarius, I suggest you decide what your soul’s main motto is—and imagine that it is written on your heart. Now is a perfect moment time to clarify your life’s purpose, and intensify your commitment to it; to devote even more practical, tender zeal to fulfilling the reason you were born.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You know that “patch of bothersome weeds” growing right in the middle of your life? Is it really a patch of bothersome weeds? Or is it perhaps a plot of cultivated blooms that once pleased you but has now turned into a puzzling irrelevancy? Or how about this possibility: Is it a chunk of languishing beauty that might flourish and please you again if it were cared for better? Those are excellent questions for you to pose in the coming days, Pisces. According to my interpretation of the astrological omens, it’s time for you to decide on the future of this quizzical presence.

Homework: Are you ready for an orgy of gratitude? Identify 10 of your best blessings. Tell me all about it at Freewillastrology.com.

Good TimesGood Times

Good TimesGood Times

MOUNTAIN SOL FESTIVAL

Aptos Changeover

Holy Mole

Bargain of the Week

Burger of the Week

Pastry of the Week

Pinot Paradise Alert!

In this issue:

EDITOR’S NOTE

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

GOOD IDEA

GOOD WORK

QUOTE OF THE WEEK