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Covello & Covello Historical Photo Collection Peace in Vietnam Protest, April 8, 1967: These true believers stood on the Santa Cruz Post Office steps doing their best to stop that war. Many who attended these protests have told me how the police and FBI photographed them from windows across the street. Yes, that's John Tuck with flowers and arms crossed in the front row. You probably can't quite see him, but the legendary musical saw player Tom Scribner is about three rows up on the right-hand side of the photo. Anybody recognize any other participants? Bruce Bratton MACHINE POLITICS? It's become a standard practice to label progressive candidates in Santa Cruz as part of a machine. It's a handy label, especially when a grass-roots organization like SCAN has become so successful in recent years. For me, there's a larger, much more organized, way better financed group that is more threatening to the future of the Santa Cruz as we know it. You can see the names of the members of this group all through the lists of supporters for the campaigns of Christine McGuire, Kate Canlis, Mark Primack, Scott Kennedy, Michael Hernandez, Yes on District Elections and No on Measure U, the Transient Occupancy Tax. If you've lived here any amount of time, read those lists of supporters and see who you recognize. Watch for the far right, the developers, Realtors, members of the chamber of commerce, builders, bankers and just about everybody who might make big bucks from developing Santa Cruz. Watch also for the names of folks who really don't like the progress our progressive City Council has been making. As previously mentioned, this election is bringing out this division and causing this divisive taking of sides. The vested interests money/power groups are betting heavily on changing the way our city and county is being run. Read those supporter lists again and see if you don't agree with my take on the election. DARK PLEASURES. I had forgotten how good a movie The Exorcist is/was. The acting, the effects, the plot, everything except maybe the ending, which is a bit wimpy, is well done. I was surprised at how many friends didn't catch it the first time around. Go see it. I should have figured that any film associated with Saturday Night Live would be a bomb, and Ladies Man is worse than that--don't even rent it. The beauty pageant film, Beautiful, starring Minnie Driver, looks like it was directed by Sally Field. It also looks like it was the first film directed by Sally Field. If you still want to see it, be warned. The only new film worth seeing is The Contender, featuring Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen and Gary Oldman. It's not much of a political statement or cinematic achievement, but it's a reasonably successful Hollywood political movie. Don't forget to see Dr. T & the Women, Dancer in the Dark, Best In Show and Girl on the Bridge. NO ON DISTRICT ELECTIONS MAYORS' 'T' PARTY. In answer to many questions about that historic assembling of former mayors at Katherine Beiers' home last Friday, only Scott Kennedy and Don Lane didn't show. Mayors Bert Muhly, Mardi Wormhoudt, Jane Weed, Keith Sugar, John Laird, Celia Scott, Neal Coonerty and Bruce Van Allen all had a good time reading over that fantastic editorial in the San Jose Mercury saying vote no on district elections. We all predicted that the Sentinel would say vote yes on district elections, and of course, they did. Jane Yokoyama didn't make it either, but Jane doesn't go to parties very much. CULTURAL NOTES. The Dream Theatre, Monterey's only movie theatre showing foreign, independent and art films, went belly up last week. Amazing that the entire peninsula can't support one good film house. ... The Dirty Butter Jug Band celebrates its 29th anniversary with a party at the faux legendary Brookdale Lodge Saturday night (Oct. 21). They also play Bocci's Cellar celebrating Holloween (stet) on Oct. 29. Dirty Butter fans should call 429.8823 for details and to find out where you can get the group's new CD. Watsonville Taiko plays Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm at the Mello Center in Watsonville. Shinsei Taiko will be joining them. They're premiering a new work that moves one of the drummers to tears. Tickets and info at 335.5558. SENTINEL PREDICTIONS. One of the fun things to do at political parties this time of the year is to predict who and what The Sentinel will endorse for the election. There has been some minor differing in guesses, but I'm betting the Sentinel endorses Bush and Cheney, of course--and being true to form they'll go with Scott Kennedy, Emily Reilly, Michael Hernandez and Mark Primack for City Council. They'll endorse Tom Campbell for senator, Canlis for D.A., McGuire for county supervisor and No on Measure U, the Transient Occupancy Tax, that would help fund services for homeless families. Probably, they'll go with Sam Farr over Clint Engler for U.S. Rep and Fred Keeley over Republican Carter for State Assembly just to show how liberal they are. UCSC FILM SERIES. Shelley Stamp, head of critical studies at UCSC's film department, is doing a Friday Night film series focusing on censorship and production codes in Hollywood films. The series is also sponsored by UCSC's Arts and Lectures Department. This Friday night (Oct. 20), Shelley will be screening Scarface starring Paul Muni, George Raft and Boris Karloff. Howard Hawks was the director. It was one of those early ones that set standards for all the car chases, shootings, violence and mobster films we are still packing theaters to see. It will be shown in the nice new Media Theatre; tickets are available at the door and the screening is at 8pm. A LITTLE DOWN TIME. Not only did Lee Quarnstrom lose his weekly column in the San Jose Mercury, but tomorrow he gets operated on, up at Stanford, for a spine problem that will flatten him and remove his byline for about six weeks. Maybe we could just not make any news until he's back on his feet. You could send him good vibes or white light things, but don't tell him you're doing it, he'd be forced to snicker. RON RUIZ FOR D.A. Assemblyman Keeley is inviting everybody to a fundraising luncheon for Ron Ruiz to hear Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante talk about the state of the law in our state on Tuesday (Oct. 24). It's all at the Veteran's Memorial Hall in Santa Cruz. If you haven't had a chance to hear and talk to Ron about his plans for the future of the district's attorney's office--you should definitely be there. There'll be a reception at 11:30am, and the luncheon will be at noon. Call 471.2370 to make sure you'll have a seat. UNITED NATIONS PARADE. The Central Labor Council and the United Nations Associations are sponsoring a parade and festival this Sunday to celebrate the Children of the World. The parade begins at the main Post Office at noon and will march down Pacific Avenue to London Nelson Center. The program begins at 1:30 at London Nelson and includes music by Ariel, and storytellers and speakers from UNICEF and child labor groups (probably anti, I'd guess). Call 426.3101 or stop by the U.N. office inside the Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company on Pacific Avenue. BUMPER STICKERS AND BEYOND. I saw this award winner on a camper over on Chestnut street: "If It's Petty, Don't Sweat It--If It's Sweaty, Don't Pet It." The Washington Post had another contest to alter a word by one letter and provide a new definition. A couple of winners were: Sarchasm = the gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the reader who doesn't get it. Reintarnation = coming back to life as a hillbilly. Foreploy = any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of obtaining sex. Karmageddon = it's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like a serious bummer. Finally: Ignoranus = a person who's both stupid and an asshole. Bruce critiques films every other Thursday on KUSP-FM(88.9) at 12:50pm. Reach Bruce at [email protected] or call 457.5814, ext. 400. [ Santa Cruz | MetroActive Central | Archives ]