For years, the relationship between the United States and the Mariana Islands could be called “give and take”; the islanders gave and the United States took. Vanessa Warheit’s The Insular Empire: America in the Mariana Islands is an exploration, among other things, of what the U.N. describes as “The Guam Question.”
News
Rhode Island Artist Wins City Commission
About 10 years ago, Santa Cruz City Council passed an ordinance that said 2 percent of the cost of every public project be set aside for public art projects. According to the ordinance, the money cannot be transferred to the general fund, so the council has decided to go ahead with two large public arts programs. Rhode Island artist Brower Hatcher will receive $200,000 to create sculptures for two new roundabouts, planned but not yet built, for the intersections in front of the Municipal Wharf and Depot Park.
Woman Sues City Over Son’s Death
UCSC student Benjamin Quaye had just been ejected from a pub for fighting. He was visibly drunk and staggered along the street, trying to make his way home. Then he tripped, fell down a gully, hit his head and died. His body was discovered the next morning by a jogger. Now Quaye’s mother is suing the city for $2 million, claiming Santa Cruz police are responsible for his death.
Santa Cruz Poets, Santa Cruz Inspiration: Debra Spencer
In this week’s installation, a paean to downtown Santa Cruz in “I Plan to Grow Old at The St. George Hotel.”
The Exhibitionist: Stan Welsh
Stillness fills the room, the palpable stillness of long waiting, of deep thought, of a tremulous breath in the face of unfathomable power. The gallery is vast and unobstructed, the art on the walls restrained in palette and tone: quiet elegance belying a radical nature.
Morning Benders Go Long
One of the truisms of the Internet era is that the traditional album is dead: thanks to iTunes, piracy and mp3 blogs, we’ve become a singles-crazed culture without the patience for a sustained 60-minute listening experience. Sales figures bear this theory out. Nevertheless, many artists continue to quixotically advocate for the album form, presenting cohesive sets of songs that can only be truly appreciated as a whole.
County Rail Line Misses Key Deadline
Santa Cruz County’s Regional Transportation Commission admits that it is in a tough position. It failed to meet its target to sign a contract with Sierra Northern Railway by yesterday’s 5pm deadline. Sierra Northern Railway had been selected as the operator of the tourist train that would run along the line, making it eligible for state funding. According to the commission’s deputy director, Luis Mendez, a contract with a train service provider must be presented to the state by Nov. 3 in order to qualify for $10.2 million in state funding for the project.
Endorsements: Statewide Propositions
The Santa Cruz Weekly’s recommendations on the Nov. 2 statewide ballot initiatives.
Shark-Petting At Seymour Center
Kids and parents poured into the Seymour Marine Discovery Center in Santa Cruz on Sunday for a chance to do something they never imagined: pet a shark and live to tell about it. To mark the Center’s tenth anniversary, it unveiled its new shark tank, stocked with swell sharks. Swell sharks are generally harmless to humans and pose no threat to divers. Nevertheless, people were warned to, “Use two fingers only, touch gently on the middle of the back … don’t touch near their heads.” Still, it is an experience not to be missed, and great cause for boasting among kids and adults alike, “I pet a shark!”
Santa Cruz Local Foods To Expand
Noah and Eleanor Taylor have a backyard farm, and they wanted to make sure that their produce gets to as many people as possible. That’s why they started santacruzlocalfood.com, a local business that collects food from local farmers, sell it online to local buyers and delivers it—by bike, of course—to customers. It’s a chance for people to get the freshest strawberries, tomatoes, and lettuce, and even flowers, breads, meat, and eggs while leaving a minimal carbon footprint. All of their suppliers are local “small-to-medium-sized producers who employ organic methods or use organic ingredients and who operate within 100 miles of Santa Cruz, unless noted,” according to the site. Deliveries are done with Pedal Express and cost $7, but there is also an option of coming to a drop site and picking up the groceries you’ve ordered yourself at one of three locations. Pick up and delivery take place on Tuesday, between 4:30 and 6:30 pm.
