A bit of topical doggerel.
Art in Uncertain Times
We are searching for new paradigms with which to understand the global economy, and this search includes bewilderment at how greed can be shameless, lies and selfishness can abound even among decent people, and, despite our access to vast amounts of information, how our ignorance is (sometimes tragically, sometimes comically) irrepressible. It occurs to me that it’s through our exposure to art that we have developed a capacity to keep asking “what if?” sorts of questions and to discern the human consequences of catastrophes. Art can prompt us to hope for…and design…a better way.
Scientists Debate Strategy at Elkhorn
The wetland system of Elkhorn Slough has undergone dramatic change for decades, but now a group of local scientists and conservationists is revving up a restoration project aimed at reversing many of these alterations and letting one of California’s largest marshlands revert back to the ecosystem it once was. However, no one quite knows what Elkhorn Slough’s truly “natural” state ever really was, and activists are at odds over precisely what treatments the slough really needs, if any at all.
Watsonville Beauty School Faces Closure
Teresa Rodriguez brushes an orangey-red polish onto a client’s fingernails and says, “I’ve waited years to go to cosmetology school, and then they opened one in Watsonville. It was a dream come true.
Community Studies Rallies to Hit Full Stride This Week
Supporters of UCSC’s embattled Community Studies Department are sending the message that they’re prepared for a long fight with another week of planned protests and activities on campus. Three separate events, meant to bolster opposition to university curriculum cuts and staff layoffs, have been slated this week and will be highlighted by a walkout and march on April 29. Organizers of the protests are again claiming, “This is only the beginning.
PETA Wants Santa Cruz Out of Skins
Meggan Anderson, a lithe, redheaded vegan, braved overcast skies and 60-degree breezes today outside O’Neill’s in downtown Santa Cruz, clothed only in pasties, bikini bottoms and a lot of green and gold body paint
Santa Cruz Plumbers Do A Little Dance
Rosenthal Plumbing has struck a blow for legions of plumbers sick of stereotypes. In a video sure to go viral, real plumbers from the Live Oak-based business lip-sync to a pretty decent rap about well-mannered plumbers who wear little booties over their shoes, explain to the customer exactly what they’re doing and how much it will cost and never, ever show even a hint of butt crack.
Employees Allege Union-Busting
Theo Jackson, a former senior case manager who worked at The Camp Recovery Center in Scotts Valley for three years, claims he was fired after leading efforts to unionize workers at the treatment center.
Elegy for James D. Houston
Where does a writer begin a story? My friend James D. (“Jim”) Houston, a mentor and colleague, a literary father figure and cultural signpost—for Santa Cruz and California, for the entire Pacific Rim—is no longer here to answer that question, a circumstance that at this moment remains difficult to grasp.
NPR’s Science Guy Visits Alma Mater
Although NPR science reporter and UCSC alum Richard Harris is in town to discuss the dangers of climate change, there are some things ‘round these parts he doesn’t mind hot. “I must say I always drive down Mission and see if Ferrell’s donuts is still around,” he says. “The old fashioned came out at 10:30 at night and we used to get them piping hot.
