I hate editors’ confessionals. The manufactured vulnerability, the self-effacing humor, the tidy moral of the story—it’s cringe-inducing. But here I am, about to let one fly, because I have to fill this space and this episode has been bothering me since it happened, which was on New Year’s Day.
News
UCSC Violence … Just Not on Campus
It was a quiet day at UCSC yesterday despite all the dire warnings. People feared the worst when the threat of violence was found scrawled on a bathroom wall in the Social Science building. Police were out in full force, and even then, some students decided not to show up for class.
Santa Cruz Poets, Santa Cruz Inspiration: Dane Cervine
From writer Dane Cervine, a poem titled ‘The Ukulele.’
The Exhibitionist: Art Class
An exquisite square of carnelian glass with many fused inclusions of brilliant color lived for a few days on a table beside the kiln, then exploded while it was being slumped (melted again into a shape) and now exists in jewel-like shards. The artist was stunned at first, then stoic. Then she began to think how to use the glittering remains.
Running Meter: Ophiuchus
A bit of doggerel on last week’s astrological hiccup, which saw astrologers and astrology fans of all signs in an uproar following a comment by Minneapolis Planetarium Society member and astronomer Peter Kunkle. In an interview with the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Kunkle said the Earth has shifted on its axis, with the result that there are now actually 13 astrological signs instead of 12.
Ten Questions for Rick Kleffel
The host of KUSP’s ‘The Agony Column’ answers our prying questions.
Jesse Scheinin’s Musical Mystery Tour
As I’m sitting in the Saturn Café talking to Jesse Scheinin, his eyes suddenly shoot upward, as if intercepting an invisible signal above us. I concentrate hard for a moment, trying to drown out the conversations around us and the clatter of dishes and silverware, and realize he has tuned in to the sound of Bon Iver’s “Lump Sum” drifting across the room from the jukebox.
Robert Earl Keen, Road Dog
There are two ways to make it in the music business: try your hand at filling stadiums and hope you don’t end up booking appearances on Celebrity Fit Club to stay relevant; or clock some serious hours on the road and slowly build a long-term career. The second course requires patience and dedication, but it’s the surer bet. Robert Earl Keen is a textbook example of this last approach, having organically built an audience for his idiosyncratic mix of booze-soaked barroom rockers and literate country ballads. The approach hasn’t won him many fans in Nashville boardrooms, but in towns like Santa Cruz, fans welcome his live appearances like he’s a returning guitar-wielding warrior-king.
Sustainable Animal Husbandry In The Spotlight
When FDA investigators visited a hatchery in Iowa last August they found the source of the massive Salmonella outbreak that forced the recall of 500 million eggs and left more than 1,600 people sick: hens caged in manure pits overrun by rodents, swarmed by thick clouds of flies and containing maggots “too numerous to count.”
SmartMeter Report Released
A report released last week that dismisses some of the potential dangers of PG&E’s new SmartMeters hasn’t fully alleviated the concerns of some government officials who worry that the wireless household energy gauges could cause long-term health problems.
