Aptos Times February 1st 2012

C O M M U N I T Y N E W S T H A T M A K E S A D I F F E R E N C E Vol 21 No. 3

Serving Aptos, La Selva Beach, Corralitos, Freedom, Watsonville, & Pajaro

COE sponsored Inside Education visits Tierra Pacifica Charter School.

February 1 2012

By Noel Smith

n this day of lower propertyvalues, there are many bar-

gains to be found in the com-mercial real estate market andthe County Office of Education(COE) found such an opportu-

nity just across the street fromits headquarters at 400 EncinalSt. The COE is buying a 10,000sq ft building at 399 Encinal St.from Wave Crest Developmentof Santa Cruz for $1.45 million.The current cost to buy the landand build a similar building

would be about double,approximately $3 – 4 million,according to a prominent localdeveloper.

Why another building?County Superintendent MichaelWatkins said his agency is cur-rently at 95 percent capacity and

in order to provide additionalspace for professional develop-ment and support for programssuch as Migrant Head Start,New Teacher Project and othersthe COE needed more space.

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County Office of Education Expanding

Locally owned & operatedwww.TPGonlinedaily.com

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2012SupervisorRaces

By Noel Smith

t’s not often that two open seatsappear on the Santa Cruz County

board of Supervisors. Three districts areup for election in 2012 with incumbentsEllen Pirie of District 2 andMark Stone ofDistrict 5 choosing not to run for reelec-tion.

Pirie has been on the board sinceshe was first elected in the year 2000while Stone was appointed to theboard in 2003 and then first elected in2004. District 1 incumbent SupervisorJohn Leopold is running for his secondterm.

Elections for open seats are alwaysinteresting because they get the mostcandidates fighting it out to get on theBoard.

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Candidates Friend, Rivas, Locatelli and Deitch.

IRS Free FileDo Your FederalTaxes for Free

‘Snoopy!!!The Musical”Christian Youth Theater

Valentine’s DayPoetry ContestTimes Publishing

2 / February 1st 2012 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

Rio Del Mar Mexican Cuisine

662-8795 • 9067 Soquel Drive, AptosSun 12pm - 9pm • (Closed Mon) • Tue-Thu 11am-9pm

Fri 11am-9:30pm • Sat 12pm - 9:30pm

CUERVO GOLDMARGARITAS!Full Bar!

www.Riodelmarmexfood.com

*Valid through February

Fine Mexican FoodFEBRUARY SPECIAL!!Beginning Friday, February 10, We will startserving Breakfast Tues-Friday 7am-11am

Sat-Sun 8am-12amBreakfast Special-2 eggs, 2 bacon or

2 sausages, potatoes and toastAlso

Wednesday Dinner Special:Fajitas Special $10.00 Every WednesdayNight with the Purchase of (2) Beverages.

$3.99

CCoommmmuunniittyyNews

Santa Cruz Teen WinsCapitola Soroptimist’sViolet Richardson AwardSoroptimist International

of Capitola-by-the-Seahas selected Rose

Leopold of Santa Cruz the2011 winner of the VioletRichardson Award given to ayoung woman who providesoutstanding volunteer serviceto the community. She will behonored at an awards dinnerin March, and will receive a$500 cash award.

A student at PacificCollegiate School, whichencourages community serv-ice, Leopold began working with the SantaClara Chapter of Amigos de las Americasand spent two months in rural Oaxaca,Mexico in the summers of 2010 and 2011.While there, she taught nutrition classes towomen and children that featured the

health, economic and envi-ronmental benefits of re-intro-ducing amaranth, a high pro-tein grain native to Mexico,into local diets to help fightmalnutrition. She also is pres-ident of the National HonorSociety and the ThespianSociety at her school and hasappeared in several produc-tions.

Soroptimist, a Latin wordmeaning Best for Women, is aworldwide service organiza-tion for women who work to

improve the lives of women and girls inlocal communities and throughout theworld. For more information, visit the SICapitola website at www.best4women.orgor contact SI Capitola [email protected].

Rose Leopold

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / February 1st 2012 / 3

CoverCounty Office of Education Expanding by Noel Smith2012 Supervisor Races by Noel Smith

Community News2 Santa Cruz Teen Wins Capitola Soroptimist’s Violet Richardson Award3 Gold Standard Chorus Seats Officers • Veterans of Foreign Wars – Deputy of the

Year Award • February Department of Fish and Game Calendar • Santa CruzCounty Bank Arts Collaborative Presents ‘REPEAT!’ – January 30 – April 20,2012

6 2012’s Valentine’s Day Poetry Contest – 12th Annual Times Publishing Group,Inc Competition By Noel Smith

7 Santa Cruz Search & Rescue Team needs your support! • Polo Grounds PathwayBeing Built by Cabrillo Lions Club

8 ‘Outside the Box – Abstractions in Art’ – Scotts Valley ‘Art in the Library’Showcases Renowned Local Artists • Coast Watershed Council gets Grant

9 The Art of the Rydell Fellowship 2006-2009 – Presented by PVAC • Exhibit fromJanuary 12 — February 12, 2012

10 CYT Santa Cruz presents ‘Snoopy!!! The Musical’ – Forty Young People Presentthe Peanuts Gang

11 Cabrillo College now has Centralized Ticketing • Cabrillo College has Area VVacancy for Board of Trustees

12 Musical Building Blocks – Winds and Piano in Combination • IRS e-file:Taxpayers Can File their Forms Immediately

13 IRS Free File: Do Your Federal Taxes for Free • How to Recover From theMalicious Erasure of Files

15 Jimmie Cox Memorial Scholarship and American AgCredit Scholarship •MarineBIOS, Marine and Coastal Map Viewer

17 Free Homeowner Workshop January 30 – $4,000 in Rebates Available for HomeEnergy Upgrades • Wedding Bells on Valentine’s Day

18 Survey Says Americans Want Unemployment Fixed 19 Help Save Endangered Species at Tax Time!20 Timeshare Marketing Scams21 South Indian Dance Company Abhinaya – Saturday, February 25 at 8:00 PM,

Cabrillo Crocker Theater26 California’s Solar Market Doubles in Two Years30 Treasure Hunting through Attic – Historian Says Pan the Paperwork for Gold

Letters to the Editor5 The COE and the School Districts – Same Goals, Different Paths

Sports Wrap16 Aptos Scoreboard

Home & Garden14 Tax credits and deductions for home improvement in 2012

Calendar • Arts & Entertainment – Pages 28 & 29

Monthly Horoscope • Page 29 - Your February Horoscope - Annabel Burton,Astrologer©

Featured Columnists22 The Book Bag by Robert Francis – Give a child a book for Valentine’s Day…24 MathBox by Bert Lundy – More Squares in Your Head25 Work in Progress by Camille Smith – Riddle: What time will it be when the future

shows up?26 The Power of Feng Shui By Denise Vivar – Finding Mr. Right in the Modern Age 27 Out & About by Josie Cowden31 Reversal of Seasons by Mike Conrad, Division Chief Aptos La Selva Fire District

SPCA Featured Pet • Page 31 – Avril Is So Uncomplicated

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VOL. 21 NO. 3

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CCoommmmuunniittyyBriefs

Gold Standard Chorus Seats Officers

Gold Standard Chorus installed its 2012officers in a ceremony at

Peachwood’s: (L to R) Ian Blackwood,treasurer; Allen Takahashi, music VP; DanJett, secretary; Les Stagnaro, VP at large;Jack Gordon, membership VP; JordanJohnson, director; and Nick Roberto, presi-dent. A senior at Soquel High School, Nickis the youngest person ever to have servedas chapter president. His first official actafter installation was to lead the chorus insinging Harmony Leads the Way.

All of the officers are enthusiasticabout bringing another year of barbershopto the Santa Cruz area and continuing thechorus’s traditions of Valengrams inFebruary, visits to the county’s highschools, the Cabaret Show in June, Sing forYour Life in November and holiday carol-ing in December.

You may visit the chorus atwww.scbarbershop.org.

•••Veterans of Foreign Wars

— Deputy of the Year Award

On January 25, Aptos Post 10110 VFWpresented Deputy Roger Galvin with

the Deputy of the Year Award. Every yeara deputy is honored with this award fortheir outstanding work and dedication.Deputy Galvin waschosen because of hispassion and commit-ment to the public heserves.

An example ofhow Deputy Galvin’shard work paid offwas when he began toinvestigate a residen-tial burglary case.Deputy Galvin identified a potential sus-pect and continued to do follow up on thecase. He learned the potential suspect waspawning the stolen property in SanFrancisco. After a long and thoroughinvestigation, Deputy Galvin interviewedthe suspect and obtained a full confession.He was able to return $30, 000 worth ofantique silver pieces back to the victim andthe suspect was arrested for multiple bur-glaries involving several victims.

•••

February Department of Fish and Game Calendar

Weekends - Elkhorn Slough EcologicalReserve docent-

led walks, everySaturday and Sunday,10 a.m. and 1 p.m.Binoculars and birdbooks available to bor-row at no cost. VisitorCenter and main over-look are fully accessi-ble. Day use fee is $4.32per person, ages 16 and older. Groups of 10or more should schedule a separate tour.

Directions and more information atwww.dfg.ca.gov/lands/er/region4/elkhorn.html

•••Santa Cruz County Bank Arts

Collaborative Presents ‘REPEAT!’January 30 – April 20, 2012

Repeat! is an exhibit displaying a play-ful exploration of repetition by six

artists utilizing mixed media, photogra-phy, assemblage and construction. Theseartists showcase repetition and process inmany different forms, bringing new mean-ing and context to simple shapes and pat-terns. The works in this show will delightand surprise your old notions of repeatedimagery.

Artists’ Reception: Join us for ouropening reception on February 8 from 5-6:30 p.m. at 720 Front Street, Santa Cruz.Meet the artists, purchase artwork and net-work with other art lovers.

Curated by Joan Blackmer. ExhibitingArtists: Dotti Cichon, Fanne Fernow,Angela Gleason, Jane Gregorius, CharlotteKruk and Daniella Woolf.

Exhibit Locations – Santa CruzCounty Bank offices: Aptos – 7775 SoquelDrive • Capitola – 819 Bay Avenue • SantaCruz – 720 Front Street • Scotts Valley –4604 Scotts Valley Drive • Watsonville –595 Auto Center Drive

Exhibit viewing and bank hours: Mondaythrough Thursday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. excluding Holidays.

Gold Standard Chorus Officers

Roger Galvin

The general themes of those runningare usually “Time for a Change” or “Staythe Course” or some variation. Also, whatdo those that say they will be runningthink will be the important issues for themduring the campaign.

Times Publishing has asked each ofthose that have declared they will be acandidate for these offices when the filingperiod officially opens on February 13 fortheir three top issues and for a statementin order to inform our readers.

Locally elected officials with theirideas and political positions often havegreat impact on their communities so it isimportant to become familiar with the can-didates in order make an informed deci-sion when voting.

This is the first of a series of articles tohelp you become acquainted with thoserunning for office and to help the candi-dates communicate with the voters. Weasked them to provide a 250-word state-ment and what were the three top issues.

Those potential candidates for 2ndDistrict Supervisor that we asked to partic-ipate were: Doug Deitch, Zach Friend, GinaLocatelli, Vic Marani, Kirby Nicol andAntonio Rivas. Those responding wereDoug Deitch, Gina Locatelli, Zach Friend,and Antonio Rivas. Those not replying atthis time were: Vic Marani and Kirby Nicol.

•••Douglas Deitch

1. Fiscal Responsibility/CommunityDevelopment/Term Limits:

Implement pay/pension/parity cuts nec-essary to maintain county financial sol-vency, starting @ 20% from the top w/ 2-term Supervisor limit

Establish new pay principle, with noone paid more than our county judges ormedical doctors(around $180K/year)

Emphasize realestate and other taxesand our local economyas revenue sourcesusing highest and bestuse principle

Recognize newfinancial reality – ecoand poverty basedstate and federal funding sources are nolonger available Community Development

Emphasize local economy in sustain-able and green industry based on agricul-tural, educational, and intellectual proper-ty development

Protect and enhance affordable andSenior housing opportunities/Considerone county wide unified mobile home rentcontrol protection policy/law

2. Water Supply

Consider only one possible MontereyBay wide regional desal plant cooper-

ating w/ Monterey County effort …Form one new regional, state created

Monterey Bay wide regional wateragency/authority merging PVWMA,SqCWD other regional districts

Declare Pajaro and Soquel CreekWater District ground water emergency asour laws have required since 1998

3. TransportationAppreciate that widening Highway 1

is sensible transportation. “Sensible trans-portationalists” never address these fourcompelling Community needs and reali-ties:• The needs of emergency vehicles forswift and safe access to hospitals andemergency facilities

• The needs of our two biggest indus-tries here, agriculture, it’s workers, it’sproduct, and tourism... i.e. “inter-county transportation”.

• The needs of our new green and cleanelectric personal vehicles to havedecent and adequate roads for intracounty transportation needs.

• Measure J here, which makes the local“growth inducement” anti wideningargument a specious and locally inap-plicable argument against wideningour local roads here.Websites: www.dougforsupervisor.com,

www.douglasdeitch.com, www.dougdeitch.com•••

Zach Friend

Idecided to run for a simple reason: Welive in an amazing place and I want to doeverything I can to keep it that way. Theseare difficult economic times and we’veseen how cuts can place vital services atrisk. We’ve seendeclines to infrastruc-ture, threats to parksfunding and signifi-cant strains in publicsafety.

But I believe thatthe challenges we faceare not insurmount-able. With clarity ofvision, and commit-ment to tackling large problems over scor-ing easy political points, I know we cancreate a future for our county that our chil-dren will be proud of.

Decisions by the Board of Supervisorswill determine what our community willbecome. I believe three key issues we faceare: • Keeping our neighborhoods safe• Repairing our roads • Maintaining our parks and farmland These are challenging times, but we

should expect no less from our local lead-ers.

I’ve been fortunate to live locally forover 13 years. Like so many, I came tostudy at Cabrillo and UCSC. I earned myMaster’s in Public Policy from Georgetown

University and returned home with mywife, Tina, to start our lives and our familyhere together.

We’ve dedicated our professional livesto public service spending the better partof the last decade in local government andpublic safety.

I want to create an environment whereyour voice, values and vision are carried tothe Board.

I want to hear your thoughts. Writeme at [email protected] orvisit www.friendforsupervisor.com.

•••Antonio R. Rivas

As a Former Two Term Mayor & Vice-Mayor and eight years with the

Watsonville City Council.My wife is a Registered Nurse with

Watsonville Community Hospital. Marriedfor 42 years and we have raised three won-derful and caring children.

I have worked for 35 years in publiceducation, ten years with the Pajaro ValleyUnified School District and currently I’m aSchool Counselor/Teacher with SalinasUnion High School District.

If elected, I pledged to:• Cut my salary by 15%. • Continue to ensure and protect rentalcontrol for our county Mobile Homeowners.

• Continue toensure services forour seniors andyouth.

• Continue to ensurethat our communi-ties are safe.

• Provide our SheriffDepartment theproper funding and resources.

• Bring new ideas and vision in order tobring better-paying jobs to our com-munities.

• Support our local businesses, agricul-tural industry and our airport.

• Make sure to treat the taxpayers’money more carefully and be transpar-ent on how we allocate their dollars. Some of my accomplishments:

• Member of the Santa Cruz CountyTransportation Commission, SantaCruz Cultural Arts Board, Santa CruzCounty Criminal Justice Board, PajaroValley Student Assistance Board,Pajaro Valley Unified School DistrictBond Committee and other boardsand committees.

• President of the Monterey BayDivision of League of Cities.

• Ensure funding for the construction ofthe Watsonville Civic Center.

• Coordinated with our EducationalInstitutions to create after school pro-grams and educational opportunities.


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CoverStoryAPTOS TIMES“Elections” from pg 1

Douglas Deitch

Zach Friend

Antonio Rivas

“Elections (cont.)” > 6

The County Office of Education usesits resources for the benefit of all the schooldistricts in the county. According to COEDirector of Fiscal Services, Jean Gardner,“We have supported our districts, throughprogram collaboration, infrastructure andtechnology support and development andmany other ways. This is not taking moneyout of the classroom, we receive fundingfor new teacher support and other pro-grams as this is one of our core functionsthat we provide to an entire region.Districts generally do not have the econo-my of scale to provide these services local-ly as well as we can regionally.”

If each district had to use its fundingin support of all the services and pro-grams provided by the COE and mandat-ed by the state and even the federal gov-ernment there would be far less moneyflowing into their classrooms. These serv-ices include curriculum development,professional development, regional occu-pational program, alternative education,student support services, child develop-ment, academic competitions and finan-cial services to name some that are avail-able to the school districts and to the stu-dents of Santa Cruz County. (COEWebsite: www.santacruz.k12.ca.us)

Each of these educational and profes-sional programs provided, supported, orsupervised by the COE brings educationdollars into the county that would not beotherwise available. In a time of reducedfunding for education, this is a valuableundertaking by the COE that is providingeducational opportunities for the county’sschools and students that ordinary fundingsources do not and cannot provide.

Education is always about investing inthe future. Whether it’s facilities, teachers,curriculum or services, the payoff isn’ttoday, it’s tomorrow. The County Office of

Education bought its current headquartersin 2007 for $6.9 million and then upgradedits facilities for another $2 million.Unfortunately it cost COE $850,000 for thelease on its previous location which wasleft empty after they moved out. However,the 30-year savings on the purchase is pro-jected to save the COE $13.4 million overrenting for the same period.

The $1.45 million for the new facilitycomes from its $18 million reserve fund.Because of its fiscal policies, the COE’s cur-rent reserve equals about 30 percent of itsannual budget. This has allowed the COEto provide $2 million in grants to countyschool districts over the past two years tohelp them through this difficult financialtime.

Gardner told the Times, “We have runour programs very conservatively overmany years and have a healthy fund bal-ance. We are able to assist districts andexpand programs in these ways because of

that. In recent years, with the onset of thestate budget crisis, our board also directedour office to adopt a budget with minimaldeficit spending. We made reductions andthis also resulted in increasing our fundbalances when others were drainingreserves.”

One activity that has helped the dis-tricts meet their education and studentservice goals is the COE’s alternative edu-

cation program. Students in the programnow number over 950 in comparison tojust a little more than 600 in 2006-7. Thisprogram works closely with families andorganization to help these students get onthe right path to a good education and ahealthier, productive life.

COE Trustee Vic Marani said, “TheCounty must also serve the most disen-franchised population by reaching out tothem and their families to get them out ofgangs back into school and on the road to abetter future. Otherwise, we’ll be buildingmore prisons. Some students cannot suc-ceed without additional support and thesekids can slip through the cracks. That iswhy one of the COE’s functions is to runAlternative programs.”

Count Office of EducationSuperintendent, Michael Watkins said,“The COE is not in competition for educa-tion dollars with the districts we serve. Weare here for the children whether it’s help-ing districts with their professional devel-opment, coordinating their programs,overseeing their finances, providing sup-port services, or for the students, alterna-tive and occupational education programs.We are here to give taxpayers with moreeducational bang for their hard earned dol-lars and to provide our children, no mattertheir background, with a solid educationand hope for the future.” n


CoverStory“Expansion” from pg 1

LLeetttteerrssToTThheeEditor

The COE and the School DistrictsSame Goals, Different Paths

There is a difference between localschool districts and the County Office

of Education. The local districts are incharge of the curriculum offered in theirprograms while the County Office pro-vides countywide programs for specialeducation and alternative education stu-dents, serving students who are not servedadequately or cost effectively by the dis-tricts.

The cookie cutter, one-size fits allapproach to high school education isdesigned to force all students to be four-year college ready. This inevitably pushessome students out the door who aren’tlooking for that path. Every day I see stu-

dents and parents who are confused anddiscouraged by the new requirements, par-ticularly those students who are more inter-ested in a career that doesn’t require a col-lege degree (80% of careers don’t, a figurethat has remained stable since the 1950’s).

In our county, the most recent statis-tics generated by the CaliforniaCommunity College system reveal thatfewer than 30% of our county students goon to four-year college; what happens tothe other 70%? Those students also deservea high-quality education, one that posi-tions them to compete in the local labormarket and earn family-supporting wagesthat will allow them to stay in our county.

Superintendent Michael Watkins (from right), Tom Torlakson State Superintendent of PublicInstruction and Santa Cruz County Board Of Education Trustee Vic Marani.

“COE” > 9

Whether it’s young Love, Love thathas stood the test of time, or thememory of Love, it is Love that

is at the center of what we celebrate eachFebruary 14, Valentine’s Day. And whatcould be more romantic than to write poet-ry about that Love for your lover - and forour readers to read. So, submit your poemabout those tender, passion-ate feelings and romanticthoughts to our annualpoetry contest.

Times PublishingGroup is sponsoring its 12thAnnual Times PublishingAnnual Valentine’s DayPoetry Contest to rewardthree local poets (and their sweethearts)with the ultimate in Valentine’s Dayromance.

It’s time for poets throughout thecounty to again wear their hearts on theirsleeves making public their feelings forthose whom they love.

By entering the 2012 Times PublishingAnnual Valentine’s Day Poetry Contest, youcould be one of our three First Place winners.

The 2011 Times Publishing AnnualValentine’s Day Poetry Contest drewpoems from Watsonville to Boulder Creekin every style imaginable. Some werefunny, some romantic, some touching, andall were a joy to read! A winning poem waschosen for each of our three newspapers(Aptos Times, Capitola Soquel Times, andScotts Valley Times).

To express your love – in 250 words orless – (see “Contest Rules” for completedetails) tell the world what makes yourValentine special. All entries must bereceived by 5 pm, Monday February 6.

Three first Place winners will be selectedwith the winning poems published in theMarch 1 issues of the Aptos Times, CapitolaSoquel Times and Scotts Valley Times. n

•••2012 Poetry Contest RulesPlease Read Carefully

Write a poem about, or to yourValentine and send it tous. Only one poem perpoet and no more than250 words and 25 lines.Submit it via email toin fo@cyber- t imes . comwith Poetry Contest inthe subject line or mail itto 9601 Soquel Dr, Aptos,

CA 95Be sure to include your name,address, day and evening phone numbers,e-mail address, and for whom (fiancée,spouse, lost love, etc.) your poem is writ-ten.

Three First Place winning poems willbe selected by the Times Publishing edito-rial staff: from south county representingthe Aptos Times; fromCapitola/Soquel/Santa Cruz representingthe Capitola Soquel Times and from ScottsValley/San Lorenzo Valley representingthe Scotts Valley Times. (Note: We wel-come submissions from all readers livingwithin Santa Cruz County.)

The Aptos Times’ winning prize is aValentine’s Day dinner for two atSanderlings Restaurant – Seascape BeachResort.

The winning poems will be publishedin the March 1 editions. All entries must bereceived by 5 pm on Monday, February 6,2012. The winner will be notified on orbefore Friday, February 10. Please call us at

831/688-7549 if you have any questions.•••

2011 WinnersAptos Times – Robin Moyer

Capitola Soquel Times – Bob LilleyScotts Valley Times – Barbara Obey

Aptos TimesFirst Place — Robin MoyerIn Tribute to My Mom, Diane

As a kid, we’d spend hours with doilies and glue,glitter and hearts, for all the Valentines I knew.

You’d run off to check on your pasta and sauce,sausage and meatballs, a salad to toss.

We’d practice a tap, from the dances you knew,curl my hair in white rags, start the next day anew.

As I aged, so you aged, with class and with grace,greeting me always, with a smile on your face.

My years went by waiting, for romance to bloom,but you’d send a Valentine, to free me from gloom.

The years, they kept passing, now with child of my own,your love remained solid; I was never alone.

So, this year dear mom, as I wait at your side,knowing your passing has finally arrived.

My heart, in these words of farewell do I send,to my Valentine, my mom,

and yes mom,my friend.

With honor and reverence, I dedicatethis to my dear mother Diane. After hoursin a nursing home sitting by my mom’s sideas she passes, I came home and saw that thiscontest was taking place again. I thought itwas fitting that I write this tribute to her.She was an amazing woman, a professionaldancer in her youth, and a housewife, Ihonor my mother Diane with this tribute.



2012’s Valentine’s Day Poetry Contest12th Annual Times Publishing Group, Inc Competition

By Noel Smith

The Aptos Times’ winningprize is a Valentine’s Day

dinner for two atSanderlings Restaurant —Seascape Beach Resort.

I ask your support and to be your rep-resentative, advocate for you as yourCounty Supervisor. Email:[email protected].

•••Gina Locatelli

Iam a believer in hard work, serviceto the community and good money

management.Financial accountability is an office-

holders’ responsibility and should bebrought to every layer of government.

No one is exemptfrom doing the rightthing; you simply donot spend what youdo not have.

My philosophy is“if there is a problem,there is a solution.” Ibelieve in simplisticapproaches to compli-cated issues. I believe in the importanceof teamwork and cooperation in businessand in the boardroom and that thoseserving the people especially should be

held accountable for their actions.As Trustee for the Seventh

District on the Santa Cruz CountyBoard of Education, and theAgriculture Chairman, of SantaCruz County Fair, my experienceas a student, a parent, a business-woman, and lifelong Santa Cruzresident will bring useful andpractical insight to the CountyBoard of Supervisors. If elected Iwill work to represent you and toearn your trust as yourSupervisor n

“Elections (cont.)” from pg 4

This is the first of aseries of articles to helpyou become acquaintedwith those running foroffice and to help thecandidates communi-cate with the voters.

Gina Locatelli



Santa Cruz Search & RescueTeam needs your support!

The County’s Search & Rescue Teamneeds your support. It is as easy asgoing out for pizza! On February 1st

Woodstock Pizza is giving up to 25% ofyour purchase to the team. You MUSThave a coupon with you when you makeyour purchase. Go to the team’s websitewww.SCZSAR.com to download and printout your coupon.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’sSearch and Rescue Team is a non-profitorganization that consists of extremelydedicated volunteers and full timedeputies under the direction of the SantaCruz County Sheriff’s Office. The team iscomprised of unpaid volunteers withspecialized search and rescue trainingprovided by the team. The team’s missionis to provide highly trained search andrescue resources to the citizens of SantaCruz County and other agencies accord-ing to the State Of California Mutual AidPlan.

The Santa Cruz County SAR team ison call and operates 24 hours a day, 7 daysa week, 365 days a year in almost any con-ditions. All team members donate theirtime, taking time off from work and awayfrom their families at all hours of the dayand night, to search and to train for search-

es. The team utilizes dogs, horses, motor-cycles, ground and air units to completetheir searches. During any given week, theSAR team may respond to multiple “callouts” that may include:• A wilderness technical rope rescue• An urban search for an elderlyAlzheimer walk away or missingchild

• Downed aircraft search, rescue andrecovery

• Community preparedness and pre-ventative SAR educationAll proceeds of this fundraiser will

help pay for over twenty team members toreceive National accredited training. Theirgoal is to search in the most efficient meansto find the lost/missing person(s) as quick-ly as possible. n

Polo Grounds Pathway Being Built by Cabrillo Lions Club

Soon there will be anew walker & joggerpathway along the

perimeter of the Pologrounds County Park inAptos. The Cabrillo LionsClub of Aptos membersbuilt about 1800 feet of afive foot wide pathwaywhich connected to anexisting pathway makingthe total length about 2500feet and have been work-ing on the pathway for thelast several weeks, which isnearing completion.

The Lions first hired acontractor to grade thepath route and theninstalled headers (pressuretreated 2 x 4 lumber). They filled the three-inch header forms with deconstructedgravel, which is similar to sand, thenadded a California Gold gravel topping.Next, they used a paving roller to smooththe final surface of the pathway. Therewere about ten work sessions each three to

four hours, with eight to ten Lions mem-bers working on the project.

The Cabrillo Lions Club is an Aptosservice club, which has been serving thecommunity for over fifty years. The club isalways looking for new members interest-ed in helping the community. n

Cabrillo Lions at work on the Polo Grounds Pathway project. TomGarske drives his own tractor, which he trailered to the site of theCabrillo Lions’ project. Also shown (from left) are GeorgePiumarta, Tom Schmida, Roger Houston and Fil Munoz.

SCOTTS VALLEY — The ‘Art in theLibrary’ program is quickly establishingthe Scotts Valley Library as an art destina-tion by attracting renowned artists for theprogram’s second installation ‘Outside theBox – Abstractions in Art,’ which will beinstalled and ready for public viewing onFebruary 4. The showing features animpressive list of high-quality, respectedlocal artists. For this 2nd ‘Art in theLibrary’ showing, Program Chair ValPeyser has selected:

Mike Bailey Carol Bowie

Mike McClellanJames McElheronMoto OhtakeEric PetersonBeth Shields

Denise Shaw & SVMS art studentsThe installation will include these

artists’ abstract interpretations in a varietyof mediums including painting, photogra-phy and sculpture.

“The physical building of the new

Scotts Valley library lends itself so well toart with its large, expansive walls andwonderful natural light,” notes Peyser. “Soit is very gratifying that the community isembracing ‘Art in the Library’ so enthusi-

astically, and our county’s many experi-enced and respected artists are eager toparticipate.” The library has more than15,000 visiting every month, and libraryemployees report strongly positive feed-

back on the ‘Art in the Library’ program.“The work by our county’s accom-

plished artists enhances the experience ofvisiting the library, making the space moredynamic and visually interesting,” saidElizabeth Walch, president of the Friendsof the Library — Scotts Valley Chapter.“The Art in the Library program is a natu-ral extension of the library’s commitmentto cultural education.”

The ‘Art in the Library’ programlaunched its first showing in Summer2011/12, and each display runs up to threemonths in length, and features six to eightartists at a time. Library and exhibit hoursare Monday – Thursday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.,Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.,closed Sundays. n

•••More information on Friends of the

Library — Scotts Valley and the ‘Art in theLibrary’ program is found at www.fsvpl.org.Artists interested in being considered for futureshows may access an application athttp://www.fsvpl.org/p/art-in-library.html.

‘Outside the Box – Abstractions in Art’Scotts Valley ‘Art in the Library’ Showcases Renowned Local Artists



Coast Watershed Council gets GrantThe Coast Watershed Council (CWC),

the principal organization responsi-ble for preserving and protecting

watersheds on California’s Central Coastthrough watershed monitoring, educationand stewardship, announced today ithas received a $35,000 grant from theDavid & Lucile Packard Foundation. Thegrant will provide watershed educa-tion programs to 150 4th & 5th grade stu-dents at Ohlone Elementary School inWatsonville.

CWC staff will work with teachersand students for one year beginningJanuary 2012 to improve science literacyrelated to watersheds (drainage basins thatlead to the ocean). The program willinclude classroom instruction, field trips toconnect students with nature, andthe development of tools that can be uti-lized by teachers in future classes.

“This grant will make it possible forCWC to reach more teachers and students inWatsonville so we can share our effectivewatershed education programs and improvescience literacy,” said Greg Pepping, execu-tive director, CWC. “Reaching elemen-tary school students with engaging environ-mental science curriculum is an essen-tial component of understanding the critical

importance of local rivers and watersheds —and why we need to protect them.”

The health of coastal watersheds isdirectly connected to the local economyand quality of life. Watersheds impacteveryone: drinking water supply, publichealth, recreation, wildlife, aquatic life andthe tourism economy. Local residentsare the single most important resource toprotect watersheds. By educatingand mobilizing residents to care for water-sheds, CWC helps local leaders

and resource agencies to preserve theCentral Coast’s natural resources. n

•••The Coastal Watershed Council is the

principal organization responsible for preserv-ing and protecting watersheds on California’sCentral Coast through watershed monitoring,education and stewardship. CWC invites thecommunity to get involved today in the stew-ardship of local watersheds by calling (831)464-9200 or visiting the CWC website atwww.coastal-watershed.org.

This exhibit is only up for a month, sodon’t miss it! We are featuring thework of the Rydell Fellows from

2006-2009: Skip Epperson, Terri Garland,Hanna Hannah, Robert Larson, WillMarino, Beverly Rayner, Felicia Rice, andDaniella Woolf.

In addition to a celebration of thebeautiful and unique work by each ofthe artists, we honor the generosity anddedication to the arts by Roy andFrances Rydell and the CommunityFoundation of Santa Cruz County.Arlene Gotshalk & Helene Woolseycurated this exhibit.

To read more about the Art of theRydell Fellowship, go towww.pvarts.org/rydell. To read moreabout the Rydell Fellowship go to TheCommunity Foundation of Santa CruzEmail [email protected] to schedule freefield trips.

•••

PVAC Call for Artists: Encaustic!Entry Period: January 16 - February 3

You are invited to submit your work forconsideration in the PVAC’s juried

exhibit Wax: Contemporary EncausticWorks, running March 1 - April 15, 2012.

Juried by Wendy Aikin and DaniellaWoolf, WAX hopes to introduce the publicto this ancient painting technique that’senjoying a (literally) hot comeback!

Pieces must include encaustic as theprimary medium.

Two and three-dimensional work willbe considered.

PVAC members are granted an addi-tional entry.

To read the complete call, visit:www.pvarts.org/WAX/call On-line entrywill be open January 16 - February 3.

Congratulations, Judy Stabile! – 2012Gail Rich Award Winner

To say we at PVAC are proud is indeedan understatement. Our very own Judy

Stabile has been designat-ed to receive the esteemedGail Rich Award onTuesday night at the RioTheater.

Judy, ournewly elected President ofthe PVAC Board, has beena leader at PVAC for 14years. As the Sentinel soaptly put it, “she is a pillarof the South County visu-al arts scene” she is andhas been an inspiration tomany artists in Santa CruzCounty and that influencehas in recentyears stretched beyondour county, state and evencountry.

Her tireless work forPVAC as a mentor, cura-tor, Gallery Committeemember, and Board member is a source ofpride for all of us who benefit fromthe product of these efforts: mountingarguably the best art exhibits inthe County. Congratulations Judy on therecognition you so deserve!

Cultural Council Grants Workshop“Money for the Arts”

Friday, February 3, 10-11:30 am, PVACGallery

Workshop for individual artists &groups to help you apply for $250-$3000grants in: Music, Theatre, Dance, CulturalFestivals, Visual Arts, Traditional Arts, andFolk Arts.

This is the last workshop before sub-missions are due on March 5. You mustattend workshop to receive LOGIN ID. Toconfirm your attendance, contact:[email protected] or call (831) 475-9600 x16. For more information:http://www.ccscc.org/index.php/grants.html

Pajaro Valley Arts Council PVAC 37Sudden St., Watsonville, CA 95076 - (831)722-3062 - www.pvarts.org

Gallery Hours: Thursdays & Fridays11 a.m. to 4 p.m. • Saturdays and Sundays12 to 4 p.m. • Free Admission • ADAAccessible n

The Art of the Rydell Fellowship 2006-2009Presented by PVAC • Exhibit from January 12 — February 12, 2012



Forcing all students to comply withthis approach to high school graduationoften leaves them after graduation with nojob skills and no college education.

Rather than “rob” districts of studentsas the Sentinel article (1/19/2012-Tensionsboil…) alleges, some students and familiesare voluntarily opting out of the compre-hensive high school factory model. TheCounty Office of Education AlternativeEducation program provides a variety ofeducational options for those studentswho don’t fit the mold found in these pro-grams. If districts want to keep their stu-dents, they need to design programs thatare responsive to individual students andstop beating the drum about a four-year

college education being the only optionSome of the highest paying careers in

our county do not require a college degree,but do require career training, which theCounty Office ROP programs do offer. Youonly have to speak to our returning collegegraduates to discover that many of themare unemployed or working in jobs in thetourism industry here, not in their collegemajors.

College is a wonderful option for thestudents who desire it and can afford it,but the statistics in our county don’t bearout the fantasy that it’s the only option.

Carol Polhamus, Career and Technical Education Project

Director Natural Bridges High School andGreen Careers Center • Ponderosa High

School and Green Careers Center

“COE” from pg 5

Photo Credit: Shmuel ThalerJudy Stabile 2012 Gail Rich Award Recipient

Desiccated Frog: Atchafalya Basin, LA - Terri Garland



CYT Santa Cruz presents‘Snoopy!!! The Musical’

Forty Young People Present the Peanuts Gang

On February 17,Santa Cruz Countywill experience the

characters from Charles M.Schultz brought to life.CYT (Christian YouthTheater) Santa Cruz is pro-ducing Snoopy, a full-length musical based onthe Peanuts comic strip.Forty students ages 8-18will be telling the story ofCharlie Brown, Sally,Linus, Lucy, PeppermintPatty, Woodstock, andSnoopy. This family friend-ly show will be a treat forall ages!

It’s remarkable! Fantastic!Entertaining! Yes, Charles M. Schulz hasdone it again. “SNOOPY!!! The Musical” isthe sequel to “You’re a Good Man CharleyBrown” and deserves each of its threeexclamation points. Based on the world-renowned “Peanuts” comic strip, itdelights every audience with the quietknowledge and wit of its characters.Musical numbers include: The Big Bow-Wow, Don’t Be Anything Less (ThanEverything You Can Be), Where Did ThatLittle Dog Go, and Daisy Hill.

Performances are at OlivetCommunity Theater, 800 Bethany Drive inScotts Valley. Tickets are $15 for adults, and$12 for students and seniors.

•••Performance Dates and Times:Friday, Feb. 17th – 7:30pmSaturday, Feb. 18th – 7:30pmSunday, Feb. 19th – 3:00pm Friday, Feb. 24th – 7:30pm

Saturday, Feb. 25th – 3:00pm, 7:30pmSunday, Feb. 26th – 3:00pmSpecial School Days Shows:Tuesday, Feb. 21st – 9:30am and

12:30pmTickets are available online at

www.cytsantacruz.org. Don’t miss thisexciting performance! n

•••Christian Youth Theatre (CYT) is the

largest national youth theatre organization andSanta Cruz hosts one of its newest affiliates.This non-profit educational organization offersafter-school classes in drama, dance, and voicefor kids ages 6-18.

CYT also produces high quality, familyfriendly musicals three times a year. CYT is notaffiliated with any church and people of allfaiths are welcome. By employing qualityteachers and directors, CYT teaches theatre in ahealthy environment while promoting qualitiesof commitment, self-esteem, confidence, andintegrity. With these goals in mind, CYT aimsto develop character in kids, one stage at a time!

Cast Rehersals for “Snoopy!!! The Musical”


CPT

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Cabrillo College now has Centralized TicketingTickets for arts events available onlineand in-person starting February 9

The Cabrillo College Visual andPerforming Arts Division (VAPA)presents new centralized ticketing

and box office options for campus artsevents, starting with the spring semesteron February 9.

Previously tickets to most campusevents were only available at the door,night of show. Beginningwith the spring season, thenew VAPA Box Office locat-ed at the Crocker Theaterwill now offer three easyways to purchase ticketsto campus arts events.

Purchase tickets• Online - Visit www.cabrillovapa.com.Tickets can be mailed or picked up atthe Box Office.

• Via Phone - 831-479-6154 Thursdaysand Fridays from 12:00 to 4:00 pm.

• In Person - Box Office, Thursdays andFridays, 12:00 to 4:00 pm, and onehour prior to events.Box Office Hours & InformationThe Box Office is open Feb. 9 through

May 25, Thurs. and Fri. from 12 pm to 4 pm

• Please bring ID to retrieve tickets atthe box office.

• For student tickets purchased online,student ID is required at events.

• Student Activity Card (SAC) holdersmust purchase tickets in-person toreceive a discount. No phone or onlineSAC card purchases.

Box Office FeesAll ticket prices include a handling fee

• Online purchases = $1fee per ticket*• Mailed tickets= $2 fee per transaction• Online tickets $21 to $42ea. - $2 per ticket online fee.• Online tickets $42 ormore ea. - $3 per ticket

online fee. n•••

Cabrillo VAPA Box Office: Online atwww.cabrillovapa.com • In-person, at theCrocker Theater, Feb 9 - May 25, Thursdaysand Fridays, 12 to 4 PM

Parking is free at the Arts Complex and atTwin Lakes Church, Monday -Thursday after 7PM, Friday after 5 PM, and weekends.

Cabrillo College has Area V Vacancy for Board of TrusteesApplications for Provisional Appointment Due February 10 by 12 noon

Cabrillo College today announcesthat due to the resignation ofRebecca Garcia, a vacancy exists in

the seat representing Area V of the Boardof Trustees of the Cabrillo CommunityCollege District. The Board of Trustees isnow soliciting nominations to fill the seat.

The provisional appointment willbegin immediately following selection bythe Board of Trustees on February 21, 2012,and the appointee will fill the positionuntil the next regular election of the Boardof Trustees in November of 2012.

Anyone interested in serving on theBoard during this interim period is encour-aged to do so by submitting a brief statementof interest and qualifications. Statementsmust be received in the President’s Office atCabrillo College by Friday, February 10, 2012at 12 noon. Statements may be submitted viaemail ([email protected]), via fax(831/479-6153), or in person (CabrilloCollege - Room 806, Building 800, 6500

Soquel Drive, Aptos). Eligible candidates for the seat must

reside and be registered to vote in TrusteeArea V. Trustee Area V includes a portionof the City of Watsonville and the southernportion of Freedom, southeast of SouthGreen Valley Road.

Please contact the Santa Cruz CountyOffice of Elections at 454-2060 to verifywhether you reside and are registered tovote in Trustee Area V. Also, please feelfree to contact the Cabrillo CollegePresident’s Office at 479-6302 if you haveany questions about the position. n

•••Cabrillo College is a leading California

community college serving Santa Cruz Countywith locations in Aptos, Scotts Valley andWatsonville. Cabrillo College is a dynamic,diverse and responsive educational communitythat is dedicated to helping all students achievetheir academic, career, and personal develop-ment goals.

In this concert, the melodic variety of thewind quintet teams up beautifully withthe delightful

sonorities of the piano,creating an array oforganic “buildingblocks” of sound. Theaudience will hearcompositions from thelate 19th and 20th cen-turies featuring delight-ful combinations ofthese melodic instru-ments.

Paul Hindemith’smasterpiece for windquintet, “KleineKammermusik” opensthe program. Theensemble then performs in smaller combi-nations both with and without piano.

Oboe and clarinet will play composerand oboist Alvin Etler’s Duo from 1945.

Then, Carl Reinecke’sTrio for Oboe, Horn andPiano adds a late-romantic flourish.Finally, the smaller“building blocks” arethen fully assembled forthe concert finale,British composerGordon Jacob’s mag-num opus, Sextet (1956).

Peter Lembergplays oboe and Englishhorn with the SanFrancisco ChamberOrchestra and withmany other orchestras

in the Bay Area as well, most notably theSan Francisco Opera.

Lars Johannessen, flute, is an activeperformer and teacher in the San Franciscoand Monterey Bay areas. He also performsCeltic, Swedish and other traditionalmusic.

Jeffrey Gallagher, clarinet, also per-forms on flute, oboe, English horn, bassclarinet and soprano, alto, and tenor saxo-phones

Jane Orzel, bassoonist, plays Principalbassoon with the Monterey and Santa CruzCounty Symphonies and is Music Directorand organist for the First United MethodistChurch in Salinas.

John Orzel is a member of the SantaCruz County Symphony and is also a com-poser. Mr. Orzel, is a scholar of folk musicprimarily Polish, Hungarian andRomanian music.

Ivan Rosenblum, pianist-teacher-com-poser-arranger, taught education and

music at UCSC from 1970-1980, and main-tains an active piano and chamber-musiccoaching studio in Santa Cruz. n

•••Performances

Saturday, February 4, at 8 p.m. andSunday, February 5, at 3 p.m.

Christ Lutheran Church, 10707 SoquelDrive, Aptos (exit Hwy. 1 at Freedom Blvd)

Tickets: Available at the door 1/2 hourbefore performance and atwww.santacruztickets.com (831) 420-5260

Contact (831) 425-3149 or [email protected] and atwww.santacruztickets.com (831) 420-5260

Musical Building Blocks

WASHINGTON — The InternalRevenue Service opened the 2012 elec-tronic tax return filing season remindingtaxpayers that e-file remains the best wayto get fast refunds and ensure accurate taxreturns.

The electronic transmission systemrevolutionized the way the IRS processestax returns and made speedy refunds pos-sible. More than 112 million income taxreturns were e-filed last year, or 77 per-cent of all individual returns filed.

“E-file is the best option for taxpay-ers. E-file enables taxpayers to file moreaccurate returns and receive their refundsquickly and safely,” said IRSCommissioner Doug Shulman.

E-file has proven itself year in andyear out as a safe and secure method offiling a tax return and has a proven track

record. Software vendors and paid taxreturn preparers use the latest encryptiontechnology. Plus, within 48 hours, an elec-tronic acknowledgement is issued that thereturn has been received by the IRS andeither accepted or rejected.

With most people receiving a refund,the fastest way to get a refund is by e-fil-ing and using direct deposit. Taxpayerscan get their money automatically in asfew as 10 days. Last year, more than 79million refunds were electronicallydeposited into taxpayers’ accounts, sav-ing them a trip to the bank.

For people who owe taxes, e-fileoffers payment alternatives such as filingnow and scheduling payment on the Apriltax deadline. Taxpayers who still want topay by check can do so by e-filing andthen mailing a payment voucher.

Taxpayers cane-file their taxreturns one of threeways: through a taxreturn preparer,through self-prepa-ration software orthrough IRS FreeFile. The IRS doesnot charge for e-file. Many taxreturn preparersand software prod-ucts also offer freee-filing with theirservices. Free Fileoffers free taxpreparation andfree electronic fil-ing.

Taxpayers areencouraged to usetax return prepar-ers who offer IRS e-file. Taxpayersshould also onlyuse paid preparerswho sign the returns they prepare andenter their Preparer Tax IdentificationNumbers (PTINs). Preparers are requiredto sign the returns they prepare andinclude their PTINs. Although paid pre-parers sign returns, taxpayers are legallyresponsible for the accuracy of every itemon their return. Preparers are alsorequired to give taxpayers a copy of theirreturns.

When using e-file, you also use an e-signature and an electronic filing PIN. Ifyou prepare your own return using soft-ware you must use the self-select PINmethod on the return. When using a paidpreparer, you can still use the self-selectPIN method or the practitioner PINmethod. The Electronic Filing PIN is a tem-porary PIN used by the IRS to verify youridentity when you e-file. n

IRS e-file: Taxpayers Can File their Forms Immediately



Winds and Piano in Combination

Music by Hindemith, Etler, Reinecke,

Gordon Jacob, Villa-Lobos, andHovhaness.Directed by

oboist Peter Lemberg, withJeffrey Gallagher, Lars

Johannessen, Jane Orzel, JohnOrzel, and Ivan Rosenblum.

WASHINGTON —More than 33 mil-lion returns have been filed through IRSFree File since its debut ten years ago.

Everyone can use Free File usingeither the brand-name software offered byIRS’ commercial partners or the online fill-able forms. Individuals or families with2011 adjusted gross incomes of $57,000 orless can use Free File software. Free FileFillable Forms, the electronic version of IRSpaper forms, has no income restrictions.

“Free File can save you time andmoney. You can prepare and e-file your taxreturn at no charge. And, the softwarehelps you find the tax breaks you are due,”said Diane Fox, director, Free File program.“Free File helps make taxes less taxing.”

Free File software is a product of apublic-private partnership between the IRSand the Free File Alliance, LLC. TheAlliance is a consortium of approximately20 tax software providers who make ver-sions of their free-file products availableexclusively at www.irs.gov/freefile.

All Free File members must meet cer-tain security requirements and use the lat-est in encryption technology to protect tax-payers’ information.

Seventy percent of taxpayers – 100million people - are eligible for Free Filesoftware. It’s perfect for first-time filers,families looking to save money or olderAmericans adept at using the Internet.

People with an adjusted gross incomeof $57,000 or less are eligible for at least onesoftware product. Each of the Free File soft-ware providers sets their own eligibilityrequirements, usually based on qualifierssuch as income, state residency, age or mil-itary status.

The easiest way to locate a softwareprovider is to use the online “get help” toolat www.irs.gov/freefile that, with a little ofa taxpayer’s information such as income,age and state residency, can identifymatching free-file products. Or, taxpayerscan review all providers and their offers.

Some software providers also offer stateincome tax preparation free or for a fee.

Also, the IRS is working with selectvolunteer tax sites such as VolunteerIncome Tax Assistance (VITA) and TaxCounseling for the Elderly. There are 200locations nationwide that have set up FreeFile kiosks where taxpayers can use com-puters to prepare their own returns withFree File.

For taxpayers whose incomes aremore than $57,000, there’s Free File FillableForms, available only at the IRS website.This program is best for taxpayers experi-enced in preparing their own federal taxreturns. For people who prefer doing theirtaxes the old fashioned way – by paper –this is an electronic alternative.

Free File Fillable Forms performssome math calculations and provides linksto some IRS publications. It does not usethe familiar question-and-answer formatused by software. Taxpayers can e-file theforms free. It also does not support stateincome tax returns.

Taxpayers must access the free-fileproducts through IRS.gov or authorizedkiosks to avoid any charges for preparingor e-filing a federal tax return.

Once taxpayers have selected a FreeFile software product, they will be directedaway from IRS.gov to the partner’s site toprepare and e-file their returns. The IRSdoes not retain any personal informationfrom the taxpayers.

The IRS also encourages businesses,state and local governments, charities andchurches to inform their employees, clientsand customers about Free File. n

IRS Free File: Do Your Federal Taxes for Free


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How to Recover From the Malicious Erasure of FilesIntelligence Note Prepared by the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

Cyber cr iminals can damagetheir victim’s computer sys-tems and data by changing or

delet ing f i les , wiping harddrives, or erasing backupsto hide some or all oftheir malicious activi-ty and tradecraft.

By wiping, or“zeroing out,” the harddisk drives, whichoverwrites good datawith zeros or othercharacters, the criminalseffectively erase or alterall existing data, greatlyimpeding restoration. This sortof criminal activity makes it difficultto determine whether criminals merelyaccessed the network, stole information,or altered network access and configura-tion files.

Completing network restorationefforts and business damage assessmentsmay also be hampered.

The FBI and Department ofHomeland Security (DHS) encouragebusinesses and individuals to employ

mitigation strategies and bestpractices such as:

Implement a data back-up and recovery plan tomaintain copies of sensi-tive or proprietary datain a separate and securelocation. Backup copiesof sensitive data shouldnot be readily accessiblefrom local networks.

Regularly mirror andmaintain an image of critical

system files.Encrypt and secure sensitive

information.Use strong passwords, implement a

schedule for changing passwords fre-quently, and do not reuse passwords formultiple accounts.

“Hacking” > 14

With the new year underway, you may be thinkingabout needed home

improvements and how you’ll useyour credit to fund them. While it ’simportant to understand your cred-it before making major homeimprovement decisions, you shouldalso consider another kind of credit- tax credits for energy eff icienthome improvements.

For the past few years, the federalgovernment has offered tax credits forcertain home improvements aimed atincreasing a home’s energy efficiency.While the most popular and generous taxcredits, such as the one that allowed youto claim up to 30 percent of improve-ments such as a new roof or hot waterheater, have expired, you can still getcredit for other significant energy-effi-cient improvements.

According to EnergyStar.gov, youcan claim a tax credit for 30 percent of thecost of installing a geothermal heatpump, small wind turbine or solar ener-gy system in your home. The credit hasno upper limit and applies to both exist-ing homes and new construction, but not

to rental properties. This credit is gooduntil Dec. 31, 2016.

You can also get a credit of up to 30percent of the cost of residential fuelcells, up to $500 per .5kW of powercapacity, EnergyStar.gov says. This creditis also available until Dec. 31, 2016.

While the initial cost of theseimprovements may seem significant,they can dramatically decrease homeenergy bills in the long run.

Depending on the type of homeimprovement or repair you undertake,you may also be able to claim a deduc-tion on your taxes. Before launching asignificant home repair or improvement,it may pay to consult with your taxaccountant to see what, if any, portion ofthe cost may be deductible. And, as youdo home repairs throughout the year,keep receipts and discuss the improve-ments and possible deductions with youraccountant when he or she is preparingyour tax return.

Knowing ahead of time which, ifany, tax credits or deductions your home

improvement may qualify for can helpyou make a better decision about how touse credit to fund the work. Since howyou use credit affects your overall creditscore, knowing the cost of a projectbefore starting it can help you bettermanage your credit.

If you’re unsure how a homeimprovement project may affect yourcredit score, websites like freecred-itscore.com can help you understandyour credit. The site offers members aCredit Score Estimator that can helpyou understand how big financial deci-sions, like applying for a homeimprovement loan, may affect yourcredit score. n

•••To learn more about tax credits for energy

efficient home improvements, visitwww.EnergyStar.gov. To learn more about taxdeductions, visit www.IRS.gov. You can find alist of regional tax credits, rebates and savingsat energy.gov/savings.


HHoommeeandGGaarrddeenn

Tax credits and deductions for home improvement in 2012

Enable network monitoring and log-ging where feasible.

Be aware of social engineering tac-tics aimed at obtaining sensitive infor-mation.

Securely eliminate sensitive files anddata from hard drives when no longerneeded or required. The US-CERT Webpage at www.us-cert.gov hosts a wide

range of tips, best practices, and threatinformation for business and homeusers.

To receive the latest informationabout cyber schemes, please visit the FBIWeb site and sign up for e-mail alerts byclicking on one of the red envelopes. n

•••If you have been a victim of cyber crime,

please file a report with the Internet CrimeComplaint Center at www.IC3.gov.

“Hacking” from pg 13



Agri-Culture is accepting 2012Spring Scholarship Program appli-cations for students

majoring in agriculture: The Jimmie Cox

Memorial Scholarship $2,000award for a student enteringor currently attending col-lege and majoring in agricul-ture will be made for the remaining years

in college (max. 4-years) with verificationof registration for each session of full time

classes. American AgCredit

Scholarship ProgramStarting in 2012, we are

proud to announce a part-nership with AmericanAgCredit so that the recipi-

ent of 2012 Jimmie Cox MemorialScholarship will also receive a $2,000award from the American AgCreditScholarship Program.

To be eligible for these scholarships,students must live in Santa Cruz Countyor within the Pajaro Valley Unified SchoolDistrict boundaries, or be a member of theSanta Cruz County Farm Bureau. Criteriafor the scholarship are based on studentleadership skills, a demonstrated commit-ment to the industry, grades and financialneed.

February 24, 2012 is the deadline forsubmitting your application for the Agri-Culture Scholarship Programs.

To request an application, please con-tact the Financial Aid office at your schoolor the Agri-Culture office, 141 Monte VistaAve., Watsonville, CA 95076, 722-6622 orEmail: [email protected] are available on our Website:www.agri-culture.us

Jimmie Cox Memorial Scholarshipand American AgCredit Scholarship

Jimmie Cox

MarineBIOS, Marine and Coastal Map Viewer

The California Department of Fishand Game (DFG) today announced anew marine and coastal map viewer,

called MarineBIOS. This interactive map isa new tool for accessing Californiastatewide marine spatial planning data.Users can visually explore and retrievepertinent marine and coastal spatial plan-ning information compiled for past andpresent DFG projects, including MarineProtected Area (MPA) planning.

Located athttp://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/gis/viewer.asp, the website is an in-depth sourceof information about California’s MPAs, aswell as some of the more common spatialplanning data that was used to create thoseMPA regulations. For example, users maylook up information on the distribution ofkelp canopies, benthic and intertidal habi-tats, important marine managed areas orpoints of interest relevant to marine usergroups.

The site is a strong starting point forpotential additional data and customizedtools in support of DFG projects and con-stituents.

“This map viewer marks a significantmilestone in our effort to manage and makeavailable planning data for marine andcoastal constituents,” DFG Director CharltonH. Bonham said. “It’s also cost-effective as itwas done in-house, using existing depart-ment technology and expertise.”

DFG’s Marine Region andBiogeographic Data Branch collaborated todevelop this new website by building onthe department’s existing GeographicInformation System capability.

“MarineBIOS” > 18


Local News ...Local Sports ...Local Politics ...

Local News ...Local Sports ...Local Politics ...

Bella DawnaIntegrityAutomotiveRio Del MarMexicanCuisineRobert & Co.Upper CrustPizza & PastaWork inProgress

Current Coupon List

SportsWrap

Boys BasketballAptos 75 – Scotts Valley 39

Aptos Season Record: (13-5, SCCAL 5-1)

Aptos Scoring: Danny Victory 12 pts, 3assists; Jake Harrell 11 pts, 5 rbds, 5

steals; Justin Montoya 14 pts; John Sakoda7 pts; Antonia Andrade 5 pts, 5 rbds; ChrisGalvan 2 pts; Cole Welle 12 pts, 6rbds; Cody Clifton 2 pts; BenBrenkwitz 5 pts; RewynReyes 5 pts.

Aptos 67 – Soquel 65 (OT)

Aptos Scoring: JakeHarrell 25 pts, 20

rbds; John Sakoda 5pts; Justin Montoya 3pts; Danny Victory 17pts, 5 assists, 3 steals;Ryan Parker 8 pts, 3 rbds, 3steals; Cole Welle 7 pts, 10 rbds;Antonia Andrade 2 pts

Girls BasketballSoquel 57 – Aptos 21

Aptos Season Record: (6-10, SCCAL 2-3)

Aptos Scoring: Camisa Composti 8 pts;Jackie Houser 5 pts; Kendall Bivens 4

pts; Karianna Krowder 2 pts; Mariah Rojas2 pts.

Santa Cruz 55 – Aptos 36

Aptos Scoring: Dierdre Wilson 15 pts,10 rbds; Camisa Composti 6 pts, 4

assists; Josie Bruce 5 pts; Vanessa Ramos 4pts; Kristin Haduca 3 pts; Megan Maxwell3 pts.

Girls SoccerAptos 1 – Santa Cruz 0

Aptos Season Record: (10-2-1, SCCAL 4-1-1)

Aptos Scoring: Brianna Bermingham4:00Aptos Goalkeeper: Courtney Rogers

10 saves (80 min.)

Aptos 7 – St. Francis 0

Aptos Scoring: Lindsey Moore (EmilyMurrer) 19:00, Jessica Wilson

(Murrer) 27:00, Graceann Rettig(Mariena Lighthill) 30:00. Wilson

(McKenzi Evers) 42:00, Rettig 48:00,Brianna Bermingham 68:00,Bermingham (Lighthill) 74:00

Aptos Goalkeepers: MadisonMontana (40 min.), Courtney Rogers (40min.)

Aptos 3 – San Lorenzo Valley 0

Aptos Scoring: GraceannRettig 20th; Emily

Murrer (Lindsey Moore)28th; Aaryn Ashworth48th.

A p t o sG o a l k e e p e r s :Courtney Rogers (40min.); MadisonMontana (40 min.)

Boys SoccerAptos 2 – North Salinas 2Aptos Season Record: (1-7-3,

SCCAL 1-3-1)

Aptos Scoring: Gustavo Gutierrez (pk)28th, Gustavo Gutierrez (pk) 80thGoal Keeper: Eric Kirby 6 Saves (75

min.), Gutierrez 3 saves (5 min.)

Aptos 0 – St. Francis 0Aptos 1 –

San Lorenzo Valley 0

Aptos Scoring: Arturo Milanes (TaylorGoetzl) 32ndAptos Goalkeeper: Erik Kirby 4 saves

(80 min.)

WrestlingAptos Season Record: (5-1, SCCAL 2-0)

Mid-Cal Tournament

Aptos: 172 lb class Joe Else, 197 lb ClassRiggs Powell

Aptos 33 – Soquel 0

106 – Jacob Porter (A) pin; 113 – (nm);120 – John Porter (A) dec, 7-5; 126 –

Kevin Feeley (A) pin; 132 – MiguelBarranco (A) pin; 138 – Jarred Lalanne (A)dec, 12-8; 145 – Allen Bjur (A) wbf; 152 –Greg Bjur (A) dec, 10-4; 160 – (nm); 170 –(nm); 182 – (nm); 195 – (nm); 220 – (nm);285 – (nm) n

Aptos High Scoreboard



CAPITOLA –– Homeowners in SantaCruz County are invited to attend a freeworkshop on Monday, January 30, 2012 tolearn about Energy Upgrade California(www.EnergyUpgradeCA.org), thenew statewide program that helps home-owners save money, reduces energy useand creates local jobs. The event will pro-vide homeowners with information abouthow to access rebates of up to $4,000.

Energy Upgrade California is help-ing thousands of homeowners across thestate, while creating “greenjobs” for contractors in their local communi-ties. The program delivers technical assis-tance, tools and training to contractorsand rebates to homeowners – providingincentives to speed the implementationof home energy efficiency. After a homeenergy upgrade, families are not only morecomfortable, they also realize substantialmonthly savings on their home energy bills.

Colin Clark, Senior Program Managerat Energy Upgrade California said, “Thebefore and after results of upgradesare often impressive, with homeownersreducing their energy consumption by 10to 50%. Most homes have gaps and cracksin the ceilings, walls and ducts. Whenadded together, those gaps and cracks areequivalent to having a hole in the housethe size of a hula hoop.”

Contractors point out that EnergyUpgrade California does not just look at indi-vidual appliances — it takes a “whole houseapproach” beginning with a comprehensivehome energy assessment. Their reportsto homeowners identify potential upgradesthat could be made. Upgrades might includeinstallation of a high efficiency heater or air

conditioner, insulation, changes to ducts andregisters or new windows — all things thataddress “air leakage” in or out of a home. Bylooking at all the system componentstogether and prioritizing their replacements,homeowners realize the greatest com-fort and savings and maximize the return ontheir investment.

Homeowners will learn how to:• Lower their utilities bill and reduceenergy use

• Increase home comfort and indoor airquality

• Get started on a home energy upgradetodayMonday, January 30, 6 – 7:30 p.m. City

of Capitola Council Chambers 420Capitola Ave. Capitola, CA 95010.

RSVP: http://capitola-euc.eventbrite.com. VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/w

atch?v=loa2Ftxcba4&feature=player_embedded. n

Energy Upgrade California is a collabora-tive program between the California EnergyCommission, the California PublicUtilities Commission, utilities and local gov-ernments that provides tools to accom-plish and promote a “whole house” approach tohome efficiency improvements. Basedon “building science” principles, the programemphasizes an integrated approach to energyefficiency, starting with an assessment of cur-rent systems to identify solutions that willimprove the comfort and energy performance ofa home. For more information,visit www.EnergyUpgradeCA.org.

Free Homeowner Workshop January 30$4,000 in Rebates Available for Home Energy Upgrades

Wedding Bells on Valentine’s Day

Wedding bells will ring thisValentine’s Day at the SantaCruz County Government

Center when the county’s deputy marriagecommissioners will perform civil marriageceremonies throughout the day andevening.

The County Clerk’s Office will per-form wedding ceremonies in theRedevelopment Conference Room, locatedat 701 Ocean Street, 5th Floor, from 9 a.m.to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, February 14. The costof performing the wedding ceremony is$75. Weddings will be broadcast live onthe Internet via the county’s “WedCam”on the County Clerk’s website atwww.sccoclerk.com.

The conference room will be trans-formed into a romantic wedding room toensure a magical and memorable cere-mony for the couples, thanks to the dec-orating services of Alexis Party Rentaland cookies donated by Pacific CookieCompany. Couples will get to celebratetheir vows with a delicious cupcakedonated by Sassy Cakes and Cupcakes ofCapitola and make a toast with ciderthanks to a donation from Costco. Eachbride will get to carry a rose thanks toObie’s Floral who is providing flowers ata discounted rate.

Couples must reserve a time by calling

“Be Mine” > 18

Americans continue to see unem-ployment as the top economic con-cern as we head into 2012.

According to a survey released today byfinancial services firm Edward Jones, giventhe opportunity to choose between fiveareas of concern in 2012, 39 percent ofAmericans would fix unemployment, fol-lowed by the national debt (28 percent).Forty-four percent of woman said theywould fix unemployment in 2012 com-pared to 34 percent of men.

Conducted by Opinion ResearchCorporation, the survey of 1,006 respon-dents revealed that gender has a signifi-cant influence on prioritizing concerns asmen were closely split between unemploy-ment and national debt being the top prior-ity (34 percent and 33 percent respective-ly); while women showed a larger dispari-ty between the two (44 percent versus 22percent). Americans age 65 and older feltthe most strongly about the issue of nation-al debt (33 percent).

Twenty-three percent of Americansindicated they would favor mendingretirement or Social Security in the NewYear. Twenty Seven percent of respondentsages 65 and older showed this as the areathey would remedy.

Americans were less concerned witheconomic issues abroad and uncertainty inthe stock market as only five percent ofAmericans said that they would fix theEuropean economic crisis while only 3 per-cent would resolve market volatility.

Other key findings from the surveyincluded:

More than one-third (36 percent) ofAmericans with a household income ofless than $35,000 would fix Social Security.

Forty-five percent of Americans withan annual household income of $50,000 to$75,000 chose to resolve unemployment.

In the West and Midwest, 43 percentof Americans would remedy unemploy-ment.

Only nine percent of college gradu-ates would fix retirement or SocialSecurity while 39 percent of those whodid not complete high school chose thisconcern. n

Survey Says Americans Want Unemployment Fixed



This map viewer was developedentirely in-house and is part of a largerprogram called BiogeographicInformation and Observation System(BIOS) that provides data-rich web map

viewers for the department, its con-stituents and partners. n

••• More information about the DFG Marine

Region is available at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine.The DFG Biogeographic Data Branch websiteis located at www.dfg.ca.gov/biogeodata.

“MarineBIOS” from pg 15

831-454-2060 or by coming to the CountyClerk’s Office located at 701 Ocean Street,Room 210, Santa Cruz. Ceremonies will beheld every 30 minutes. Each couple mayhave no more than 15 guests. Couples whoare late for their scheduled ceremony mayhave to reschedule for another day.

Couples must have a valid marriagelicense prior to the scheduled ceremony

and have at least one witness present. Atraditional marriage license costs $75 andlicenses are issued by the County Clerk.To obtain a marriage license, the brideand groom must appear in person withvalid identification, complete a form pro-viding personal information, and take anoath. n

For more information, please call 831-454-2060 or visit the County Clerk’s website atwww.sccoclerk.com

“Be Mine” from pg 17



California’s wild animals and plantsneed your help, and there’s an easyway to do it! Just make a voluntary

contribution on line 403 and/or line 410 ofyour state income tax return (Form 540). Bycontributing any amount over one dollaryou can support the Department of Fishand Game (DFG) Rare and EndangeredSpecies Preservation Fund and/or theCalifornia Sea Otter Fund. What youdonate this year is tax deductible on nextyear’s return. Californians can receive astate income tax credit from the FranchiseTax Board for helping wildlife.

“The voluntary donations made byCalifornians at tax time are incrediblyimportant in our efforts to save threatenedand endangered species,” said DFGDirector Charlton H. Bonham. “Thesefunds have provided critical support formany state-listed species such as theBakersfield cactus, Owens pupfish, SanFrancisco garter snake, California tigersalamander, marbled murrelet, Mohaveground squirrel and many more. Thesedonations will help ensure that California’sextraordinary biodiversity is maintainedfor future generations.”

There are 387 listed plant and animalspecies. Money raised through the taxcheck-off program helps pay for essentialDFG research and recovery efforts. Suchwork allowed the California brown pelicanand American peregrine falcon to be de-listed in 2009.

Since 1983, the tax check-off fund forRare and Endangered Species has raisedmore than $18 million and supportednumerous projects, including the establish-ment of a controlled breeding program for

endangered riparian brush rabbits using anewly discovered population of wild rab-bits resulting in a significant expansion ofriparian brush rabbit populations on pub-lic lands. The critical support of Californiataxpayers has enabled wildlife biologists toachieve important recovery milestones toconserve our vulnerable species.

More information on the Rare andEndangered Species Preservation taxcheck-off program is available atwww.dfg.ca.gov/taxcheck.

A second tax check-off fund was creat-ed specifically to facilitate recovery of theCalifornia sea otter, which is listed as a StateFully Protected Species and a ThreatenedSpecies under the federal EndangeredSpecies Act. Based on the most recentlycompleted survey, there are fewer than2,800 sea otters remaining in California.This small population is extremely vulnera-ble to oil spills, environmental pollution,predation by white sharks and other threats.

The California Sea Otter Fund hasbecome especially vital during the currenteconomic downturn, because other sourcesof support for sea otter conservation andresearch have decreased or are no longeravailable. Citizens of the state of Californiamake this fund possible entirely throughvoluntary contributions. There are no otherdedicated state funding sources availableto continue this important work. n

•••By contributing any amount over one dol-

lar on line 410 of your state tax form 540 youcan support the Department of Fish and Game(DFG) Rare and Endangered SpeciesPreservation Fund and/or the California SeaOtter Fund.

Help Save Endangered Species at Tax Time!



Timeshare owners across the countryare being scammed out of millions ofdollars by unscrupulous companies

that promise to sell or rent the unsuspect-ing victims’ timeshares. In the typicalscam, timeshare owners receive unexpect-ed or uninvited telephone calls or e-mailsfrom criminals posing as sales representa-tives for a timeshare resale company.

The representative promises a quicksale, often within 60-90 days. The sales rep-resentatives often use high-pressure salestactics to add a sense of urgency to thedeal. Some victims have reported that salesrepresentatives pressured them by claim-ing there was a buyer waiting in the wings,either on the other line or even present inthe office.

Timeshare owners who agree to sellare told that they must pay an upfront feeto cover anything from listing and adver-tising fees to closing costs. Many victimshave provided credit cards to pay the feesranging from a few hundred to a few thou-sand dollars. Once the fee is paid, time-share owners report that the companybecomes evasive – calls go unanswered,

numbers are disconnected, and websitesare inaccessible.

In some cases, timeshare owners whohave been defrauded by a timeshare salesscheme have been subsequently contactedby an unscrupulous timeshare fraud recov-ery company as well. The representativefrom the recovery company promisesassistance in recovering money lost in thesales scam. Some recovery companiesrequire an up-front fee for services ren-dered while others promise no fees will bepaid unless a refund is obtained for thetimeshare owner.

The IC3 has identified some instanceswhere people involved with the recoverycompany also have a connection to theresale company, raising the possibility thattimeshare owners are being scammedtwice by the same people.

If you are contacted by someone offer-ing to sell or rent your timeshare, the IC3

recommends using caution. Listed beloware tips you can use to avoid becoming avictim of a timeshare scheme:• Be wary if a company asks you for up-front fees to sell or rent your time-share.

• Read the fine print of any sales con-tract or rental agreement provided.

• Check with the Better Business Bureauto ensure the company is reputable.To obtain more information on

Internet schemes, visitwww.LooksTooGoodToBeTrue.com.

Anyone who believes they have beena victim of this type of scam shouldpromptly report it to the IC3’s website atwww.IC3.gov. The IC3’s complaint data-base links complaints together to referthem to the appropriate law enforcementagency for case consideration. n

Timeshare Marketing Scams

In some cases, timeshare owners who havebeen defrauded by a timeshare sales schemehave been subsequently contacted by anunscrupulous timeshare fraud recoverycompany as well. The representative fromthe recovery company promises assistancein recovering money lost in the sales scam.



Cabrillo College Theatre Arts pres-ents the Fifth Annual Evening ofWorld Theatre with the Abhinaya

Dance Company, featuring acclaimeddancer and artistic director Mythili Kumar,on February 25 at the Cabrillo CrockerTheater at 8:00 PM.

Discover the rhythm and beauty ofSouth Indian classical dance forms withthe Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose.Founded by its artistic director MythiliKumar in 1980, the company presents

innovative and professional performancesof Indian dance forms, primarilyBharatanatyam.

The evening’s performance will fea-ture Kumar, whom The Times of India,Mumbai dance critic praised, saying, “For along time now, one had not witnessed aBharatanatyam recital with a touch of rari-ty and class, marked by style and substanceas the performance by Mythili Kumar … Agrand evening with a great dancer.”

Endowed with abundant grace and acommanding stage presence, MythiliKumar performed extensively in Indiabefore moving to the U.S. in 1978. Trainedin three different Indian classical danceforms – Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi andOdissi, Mythili gained recognition for herversatility when she performed all threestyles in a single performance. In 1980, shebegan teaching Bharatanatyam in the BayArea at the request of a few friends, nam-ing it the Abhinaya School of Dance.

Touring the USA and Canada withmusicians from India, to great acclaim,provided the inspiration for Kumar to

inculcate this passion in her students aswell. The school gained a reputation forexcellence from its first student perform-ance as well as its first original productionof Shiva-the Cosmic Dancer in 1986. Withthe award of the company’s first grant, andthe successful audition of its first batch ofstudents for the San Francisco EthnicDance Festival, the path was laid forMythili to continue with her innovativeand creative work.

Presenting performances of the high-est caliber that have won praise from thecommunity, the school garnered continu-ous support from various funding agen-cies, eventually leading to the transforma-tion of the school to a non-profit organiza-tion in 1990, known as the Abhinaya DanceCompany of San Jose.

The company has toured throughoutIndia and many parts of the U.S. Kumarhas been honored by World Arts West withthe Malonga Casquelord LifetimeAchievement Award and a “SustainedAchievement Award” by the Bay AreaIsadora Duncan Award committee. Mythili

has received choreography grants from theNational Endowment for the Arts, and hercreativity has led her to choreograph sever-al original productions as well as solopieces over the years that have constantlywon acclaim. n

•••Abhinaya Dance Company Saturday,

February 25 at 8 p.m. Cabrillo Crocker Theater,6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos. Free Parking onweekends

Tickets: Price: $18 General, $15Seniors/Students, $13 w/SAC card. OnlineTickets: www.cabrillovapa.com or 831-479-6154

South Indian Dance Company AbhinayaCabrillo College Presents 5th Annual Evening of World Theatre Saturday, February 25 at 8:00 PM, Cabrillo Crocker Theater


The Book Bag by Robert Francis

by Robert Francis

FeaturedColumnist

The Book Bag Give a child a book for Valentine’s Day …

Ten Little CaterpillarsBy Bill Martin Jr.Illustrated by Lois EhlertBeach Lane. $17.99 (Ages 2-6)

The big, vibrant, colorful illustrationsmake this picture book something spe-

cial and one that small children will enjoylooking at. A number of little caterpillarscrawl over a variety of large flowers, leavesand veggies.Other creatureslike spiders,ladybugs, birdsand even alarge fish, areincluded in thevarious scenes.

The text isfairly simpleand the authordoes providethe names of all the foliage, flowers andother critters as well as a limited narrative.Then, at the end of the book, you’ll find tencaterpillars, such as the mourning cloak andcabbage looper, along with an illustration ofthe moth or butterfly they change into. Thisillustrated guide also includes a little infor-mation on what each caterpillar likes tomunch upon.

Not only is this a very eye appealingbook, but it also serves as the ideal intro-duction to caterpillars and the transforma-tion they undergo to become moths or but-terflies.

Light Up the NightBy Jean Reidy Illustrated by Margaret Chodos-IrvineHyperion. $16.99 (Ages 4-8)

The youngster featured in this bookbegins by introducing the reader to his

universe and the planets and stars that“glow bright and light up the night.” Fromouter space he then heads down towardsEarth, his “own little piece of the uni-verse.” The journey continues as the nextfocus is on the child’s country, then histown, his house, his room and then hisvery own bed.

The rhymed narrative makes this notonly a pleasant read aloud book but also

one that begin-ning readersshould be ableto handle with-out too muchd i f f i c u l t y .I n t r o du c i n gchildren to theconcept thatwe are part of amuch biggerworld is also agood idea and this picture book does so ina free and easy manner.

Home-Field AdvantageBy Justin TuckIllustrated by Leonardo RodriguezSimon & Schuster. $16.99 (Ages 4-8)

Professional football player Justin Tuckof the New York Giants narrates this

picture bootthat explainswhy he issuch a toughprofessionala t h l e t e .“When peo-ple ask mehow I got tobe so tough, Isay, ‘You’d betough too, ifyou grew upwith my fivesisters!’”

In thisbook, Tuck describes the time when he wasa little boy and his sisters decided to givehim a haircut. Snip, snip, snip! What heended up with was a “reverse Mohawk”and poor Justin was so embarrassed he hidin his room.

The illustrations in this picture bookare cute and draw the reader into what is a“so-so” narrative. Anyone with lots of sib-lings can relate to this story, but otherwiseit probably won’t appeal to a wide audi-ence other than Tuck’s New York fan base.I seriously doubt that plastering “NFLSUPERSTAR” on the cover will do much toboost the sales of this book!

Race the Wild WindA Story of the Sable Island Horses

By Sandra MarkleIllustrated by Layne JohnsonWalker. $17.99 (Ages 4-8)

Located off the coast of Nova Scotia, arcshaped Sable Island is the home to

about 300 wild horses. This picture booktells the story of how these sturdy animalshave weathered storms and otheri n c l e m e n tc ond i t i o n sand actuallythrived in therugged envi-ronment.

T h estory beginswith thehorses swim-ming ashoreafter being taken out to the island on a sail-ing ship. Once on the island, the small herdhad to acclimatize itself to the sand, windand odd sea creatures they shared theirnew home with.

Although there was no shelter fromfoul weather and snow, there was enoughto eat and no natural predators to fear.Over the years the horses not only adaptedto their new surroundings, they alsothrived.

Sandra Markle’s beautiful horse illus-trations make this picture book all themore enjoyable. Any child who loves hors-es will relish this story and re-read it againand again.

No Two AlikeBy Keith BakerBeach Lane. $16.99 (Ages 3-7)

Just as no two snowflakes are alike, wesee in this picture book that the two redbirds also featured here are different. Asthe two curious birds explore their winterenvironment, they find there are differentcritter tracks in the snow, different branch-es on the trees, and even different snowcovered fences separating the fields.

The birds fly past birdhouses that arethe winter homes of different sizes andkinds of birds and they notice different ani-

mals in the forest below. By the final page,the message isquite clear – wemay be similar,but not exactlyalike.

With itswonderful win-ter motif, thispicture booknot only stress-es the uniqueness of each creature andobject shown, but with the white, snowybackground, the brightly colored creatureslike the birds also pop out at the reader.

It’s a Small World Sticker & Activity BookIllustrated by Nancy KuboDisney Press. $6.99 (Ages 5 and up)

This activity book features lots ofreusable stickers that can be put to

good use in all sorts of ways. The young-ster is invited to match animals to the cluesdescribing them, pair smiling faces withhats from around the world, create his orher own jungleand safari scenesand place famouslandmarks in theproper location.

Some sec-tions of the bookshow a scenefrom some inter-national city andthen in the spacebeneath it thechild is asked torecreate the scene using the selection ofstickers. The youngster can also let his orher imagination dictate how a sceneshould look given just the background orthe child can use the stickers to make up anoriginal story.

Since the stickers do pose a chokinghazard, no youngster who is still likely toplace things in his or her mouth should begiven this book. For older children,though, this is an ideal way of not onlylearning a little about geography and othercultures, but the use of the book alsoencourages creativity.

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La Brea Bakery:

Sesame Semolina Loaf 1lb ......................................

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Green Beans Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$149 LB

Cauliflower USA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$149 EA

Yellow Onion USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 LBS FOR $100

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$799 +CRVCorona 12 Packs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$1499 +CRVBlue Moon 6 Packs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Polish Sausage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

$599 LBHabanero Cheese Sausage . . . . .

$599 LBAlpine Lace Sliced Cheese 8 oz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Ballpark Franks 16 oz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$369

Claussen Pickles 20-32 oz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Stonemill Dips 11 oz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$249

Casa Sanchez Tortilla Chips 14 oz . . . . . .$299-$349

Wholly Guacamole 12-14 oz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$549

Boar’s Head Blazing Buffalo Chicken......$1079 LB

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Whole Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken Breast .$899 LB


FeaturedColumnist

In the first MathBox column, I showed how youcould square any 2-digit multiple of 5 in yourhead. To recap, the idea is to multiply the left

digit by one more than itself and place 25 next toit. For example, to square 45, (45 x 45), add 1 to 4,getting 5; multiply 4 x 5 = 20, place 25 beside itand you’re done: 45 x 45 = 2025.

This trick only works for numbers ending in 5. Inthis second lesson, I’ll showyou how to do another set.In mental math, the idea isto change a difficult prob-lem into an easier one. Sinceyou now know how to mul-tiply all the multiples of 5quickly, we’ll expand onthis idea. Suppose youwanted to multiply 31 timesitself in your head. My 9-year old son can tell youimmediately that theanswer is 961. How can he do it so quickly?

It’s based on the algebra equation (n + 1)2 = n2+2n+1. It may be hard to multiply 31 times itself in yourhead, but it’s easy to square 30 (see last lesson), getting900. Then all you have to do is add 2 x 30, which is 60,

and add 1, making 61. The answer is 900 + 61 = 961.In other words: for the numbers ending in 0 or 5, we

can get the square of the number just above it by dou-bling the number, adding 1, and adding this to thesquare we know – which is easy, especially for thoseending in 0.

So to get 51 x 51, all I do is take 502 = 2500, add 101to it (double 50 to get 100, then add 1). So 512 = 2601.

Similarly, 612 = 3600 + 121 =3721; 412 = 1600+80+1 =1681 and so on. Most of youprobably think it’s hard tosquare the number 101 inyour head. It’s trivial usingthis trick: 1012 = 1002 + 200+ 1 = 10,201.

You can do a similartrick for numbers just belowthe easy squares. To get 29 x29, we again take 302 = 900.Again, we double 30 to get60; but subtract 60 from 900

instead of adding; then add 1. So 29 x 29 = 900 - 60 + 1 =841. Similarly, 392 = 1600�80+1 = 1521, 492 = 2500�–�100+1 = 2401, and 892 = 8100 – 180 + 1 = 7921.

To do these, you must practice, but with practice, it

becomes easy. In the next lesson I’ll show you anothermore general technique which can be used to square allof the 2-digit numbers, including these you alreadyknow, and even 3-digit numbers! n

•••Bert Lundy is the Director of Learn for Excellence tutoring

center, 1929 Main St., Watsonville. 831-679-7900.

More Squares in Your Head

In mental math, the idea is tochange a difficult probleminto an easier one. Since younow know how to multiplyall the multiples of 5 quickly,we’ll expand on this idea.


How’s it going?One of the questions that natu-

rally arises once you have yourB.E.WHY is, HOW? How do I make theunpredictable happen? There is a method-ology to achieving breakthrough results.That’s what we’re talking about here, notjust incremental improvement, but a breakfrom the predictable. (BTW, incremental isfine and appropriate in many situations.)Repeatedly and reliably producing break-through results requires, among otherthings, expanding self-awareness, ques-tioning beliefs, going beyond comfortzones, thinking in new ways, and welcom-ing breakdowns. All that requires a partic-ular way of being.

To kick off the “how” discussion, let’slook at our relationship with the future.Our conventional, well-entrenched wis-dom tells us that the future is somethingout there that will show up some day.Tomorrow, maybe, but not today. Oh, andabout tomorrow. Orphan Annie remindsus: “Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love yaTomorrow! You’re always a day away!”(For those who prefer Steve Miller’s “Flylike an eagle”: Time keeps on slippin’, slip-pin’, slippin’ into the future)

Maybe that puts a crimp in our plans.Maybe not.

What time is it?For another perspective of the

future, consider Eckhart Tolle’s view oftime from The Power of Now: • We are conditioned to think in termsof [three distinct domains of time]past, present and future.

• We are preoccupied with looking bothbackwards and forwards, anythingrather than focus on the present, thehere and now.

• We focus on the past because this iswhat gives us our sense of identityand what has led us to the life circum-stances that we currently face.

• We focus on the future because this iswhere all our dreams and fears willplay out.

• We can never actually experience thepast or the future. The past is gone. We

only ever experience it as a wholeseries of NOW’s when we talkor think about it in the present.The same will be true of the

future: when it arrives itwill be NOW. The onlything that ever has anyreal, underlying validity,is the present, the Now.

Combine whatTolle says with yourown experience andGhandi’s familiarquote: Be the changeyou wish to seein the world.When we “be”the change wewish to see, webehave today,right now, in amanner that’sconsistent withthe future wedesire. Bydoing so, wegenerate thefuture now.

Whatever you want to experience orbe someday, in the future, act and be thatway today. Behave today in a way that’sconsistent with your future commitment. Ifyou are committed to someday workingwith people who respect and trust eachother, act, as best you can, in a trustingmanner with your co-workers today. If youare committed to having more transparentrelationships, reveal yourself today. Anddo it again when the next today comesaround. Being and repeating the behaviorconsistently brings about the change wewish to see.

WIPC TIP: Kick start your year by cre-ating and keeping a commitment that takesno more than a week or two to complete.This spark of success will light the fuse forfulfilling other commitments for the year.

Planning’s good, acting gets results.Where you are is the best (and only) start-ing place. This isn’t about doing it perfect-ly; it’s about engaging and discoveringyour own answer to How? Take actionNOW, not tomorrow, which is (sing alongwith me) always a day a way.

Now, answer the riddle.Take care, Camille Smith n

•••Office: 831-685-1480 ~ Mobile: 831-251-

5190. President, Work In Progress Coaching ~Turning potential into results ~www.wipcoaching.com

Camille LIVE Video: www.wipcoaching.com/the-brightside-of-burnout/

Free Webinar: Values & Engagement:unboundideas.com/past-events/camille-smith/

Global Leaders: www.openaction.org/gwln

Riddle: What time will it be when the future shows up?By Camille Smith

What is not started today is never finished tomorrow— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Your turn: Take one action now that matchesthe future you desire.In December’s column, I invited you to shiftfrom making resolutions to creating a BigEnough WHY? for 2012 — a shift from beingresolved (with crossed fingers) to being com-mitted. (Link to either TPG’s online of last column orhttp://www.wipcoaching.com/2011/12/29/bring-in-the-new-year-with-a-big-enough-why/)

FeaturedColumnist


FeaturedColumnist

The Power of Feng ShuiFinding Mr. Right in the Modern Age

By Denise Vivar

The course of true love never did runsmooth,” reasons Lysander inShakespeare’s A Midsummer

Night’s Dream, attempting to sootheHermia as she despairs over love’s tribula-tions. Indeed, tragic love has historicallybeen a popular theme - think of Lancelotand Guinevere, Orpheus and Eurydice,Rama and Sita, Bogart and Bergman, PepéLe Pew and Penelope Pussycat. It wouldseem just about everything gets in the wayof love’s progress: age, class, family, wars,body odor.

If only someone enlisted the help offeng shui! Feng shui could have addressedthese issues and more. This ancient ener-getic art originally used in burial rites, thenlater in homes and businesses, addressesmany aspects in our lives regarding ourfamilies, communication, health, wealth,work and relationships. Things might havebeen different for poor little RomeoMontague had he and the Capuletsworked on their relationship and family

sectors. But of course removing the dramaremoves the story’s seduction and boxoffice appeal.

Modern day love is no less fraughtwith its trials and perhaps even more so aswe gather together less and Twitter more.Just finding one’s potential love interest isa challenge. Without the matchmakers andfamily to introduce us to potential part-ners, we’re left on our own to find andsecure a match and we often stumble atthis game. And the biggest obstacle to find-ing love is our own psyches.

Now we contend with body imageissues, lack of confidence, and financialinsecurities. The voice in our head tells usthat we are unattractive and undesirable.We stand at life’s thresholds time andagain (literal and metaphorical), shackledby timidity, shame or indecisiveness andwe are frustrated because we cannot attractthe love we so deserve.

“Whoever loved that loved not at firstsight?”

Feng shui principal asserts that ourinternal environment, our psyche, isindelibly connected to our external envi-ronment and each are strongly affectedby one another. Feng shui not only dealswith placement of objects, but also withflow of energy and balance of elements -the disposition of which are married toour thoughts, attitudes and behaviors.The issue of attracting love in our lifewould then be addressed on a holisticlevel - our relationships are a product ofall that we believe and invite into ourlives.

For centuries, people have proclaimedthe profound results of the conscious align-

ment of their internal environment withtheir external environment. Many a woo-ing woman has described feeling moresecure, attractive and better able to connectwith others by applying the principles offeng shui. It stands to reason that if wemeet love and life on our terms with confi-dence and the feeling of wholeness we arenothing less than utterly alluring. n

•••Denise Vivar assists single women looking

for Mr. Right by helping them break throughblocks to finding and attracting the right manusing the power feng shui. Workshop startingFeb. 13. Contact her at [email protected] for more information.

California’s Solar Market Doubles over the past Two YearsEnvironment California Research &

Policy Center released a new reportanalyzing the amount of solar power

installed by cities across the state as of thethird quarter of 2011. The report reveals adiverse array of cities in which solar poweris booming, an indication that California’ssolar market is maturing and becomingmainstream. Compared with a similar 2009analysis, this report shows that California’ssolar market has doubled in two years.

“From Fresno to San Francisco andClovis to Culver City, solar power isbecoming a mainstream technologythroughout California,” said MichelleKinman, clean energy advocate withEnvironment California Research & PolicyCenter and co-author of the report,California’s Solar Cities 2012: Leaders inthe Race Toward a Clean Energy Future.“Solar power is booming in California andwith the right leadership we can continueto benefit from the cleaner air and localjobs that this industry inevitably brings.”

Of the over 700 cities analyzed in thereport, San Diego leads the pack in termsof the number of solar roofs installed, withmore than 4,500 projects on residential,commercial and government buildings.San Diego also leads in terms of the elec-tricity generated, measured in solar capac-

ity, with nearly 37megawatts installed.

“San Diego did-n’t become the state’sNo. 1 solar city byhappenstance; it wasthe result of localpolicies and programs that encourageinvestment in solar power,” said San DiegoMayor Sanders.

San Diego is followed by Los Angeles,San Jose, San Francisco and Fresno, eachhaving more than 2,000 solar installations.Bakersfield, Santa Rosa, Roseville, Clovisand Sacramento round out the top 10, eachwith more than 1,000 solar installations.Oakland and Chico make it in the top tenin terms of solar capacity. Overall,California has gone from having 500megawatts of solar in 2009 to having 1,000megawatts today.

“Solar used to have a reputation ofbeing for the hip and hippy. This analysisshows that solar is benefiting allCalifornians—solar is just as much Fresnoand Chico as it is Santa Cruz andSebastopol. People all across the state arelowering utility bills and creating goodjobs by tapping into the sun,” said AdamBrowning, executive director of Vote Solar.

Comparing 2009 with 2011,

Sacramento (2.86times) and LosAngeles (2.78 times)lead the top 10 citiesin terms of growth asmeasured by capaci-ty. In terms of the

number of installations, Los Angeles (2.89times) and Bakersfield (2.18 times) haveexperienced the most growth.

Solar has reached its greatest penetra-tion in the northern Bay Area, the Sierrafoothills and the Central Valley. The smalltowns of Sebastopol (Sonoma County),Newcastle (Placer County) and NevadaCity (Nevada County) lead the state interms of number of solar installations perresident. Herald (Sacramento County),Edwards Air Force Base and Lebec (KernCounty) lead in terms of solar capacity percapita.

Governor Jerry Brown has called forexpanding California’s solar market to 12gigawatts by 2020. To date, more than 60elected officials statewide have endorsedGovernor Brown’s vision. EnvironmentCalifornia and allies are advocating thatlocal and state leaders continue to push bigpolicy initiatives to continue expansion ofone of California’s strongest markets.

Key steps moving forward include:

expanding net metering – the ability for ahomeowner or business to receive a crediton their electric bill to offset electricity usageduring the night; adopting a feed-in-tariffprogram to enable owners of warehousesand parking lots to generate wholesale solarelectricity; and mandating that all newbuildings be equipped with solar systems.

California’s rapid expansion of itssolar market is bringing cleaner air andjobs to the state. Every megawatt of solarpower installed prevents the emission ofnearly 700 pounds of smog-forming pollu-tion per year and cuts more than 900 met-ric tons of global warming pollution peryear as well. A recent report by the SolarEnergy Industry Association shows thatCalifornia is home to over 3,000 solar com-panies that employ more than 25,000 peo-ple and that the market is poised for fur-ther growth in 2012.

“It’s been almost 30 years sinceKyocera sold its first solar module in SanDiego, and we now have regional produc-tion capacity approaching 200 megawattsannually,” said John Rigby, president ofKyocera International, Inc. “We foreseeunprecedented growth, especially for solarinstallers, as California pursues its goal tohave 12 gigawatts of solar generationstatewide over the next decade.” n

Bakeries in Watsonville

Two bakeries in Watsonville well wortha visit are Bagel Café & Bakery and

Freedom Bakery & Confections. I sampledtheir goodies recently and they’re turningout some delicious stuff. Bagel Café makessemi-sweet bread – similar to brioche – thatis simply delicious, as well as every flavorof bagel you can imagine. They also makespecialty coffees, salads, cakes, pies andpan dulce. Freedom Bakery makes a cook-ie that I absolutely love. It’s a latte short-bread dipped in Belgian chocolate. Theyspecialize in custom made cakes, gifts andfavors of all kinds for weddings, partiesand corporate events, so they don’t have astore we can visit, unfortunately. But theircustom cakes and cupcakes are available atWindmill Market in San Juan Bautista andScotts Valley Market in Scotts Valley.

Bagel Café & Bakery, 1830 Main St.,Watsonville, 722-3838.www.bagelcafebakery.com.

Freedom Bakery & Confections, 125Hangar Way #120, Watsonville, 866-548-7266. www.FBandC.com.

Eat Local

Iam a great believer in supporting localbusinesses – including eating local food.When I received a book in the mail entitled“Eat Local: Simple Steps to Enjoy Real,Healthy & Affordable Food,” I was morethan happy to keep it on my bookshelf forreference. “Eat Local” includes the why’sand how’s of finding, purchasing, preserv-ing and using local foods, eating seasonal-ly, and eating less meat.

The author is Jasia Steinmetz, a foodand nutrition professor of the University ofWisconsin-Stevens Point in the School of

Health Promotion & HumanDevelopment. “Eat Local” covers a widerange of topics such as: Convenience;Children’s Health; Economics; Key bene-fits of local foods; Seasonal local food-eat-ing strategies; Local food cooking andpreparation tips – and much, much more.

The book is available at www.Amazon.comand other online booksellers. Learn more atwww.EatLocalSimpleSteps.com.

The Penny Ice Creamery’s second location — The Picnic Basket

The Penny Ice Creamery people – andthat would be owners Kendra Baker

and Zachary Davis – opened up a secondlocation last year in June called The PicnicBasket. As well as their delicious icecream, they serve salads and soups madewith ingredients from local farms andartisan food makers including The RibKing, El Salchichero, Companion Bakers,Verve coffee, and kraut from FarmhouseCulture.

This place really does a brisk businesswith all these different choices. It’s time topay them a visit if you haven’t done soalready.

The Picnic Basket, 125 Beach St., Suite B,Santa Cruz, 427-9946.

Chowhound Cooking Classes

If you have ever thought of upping yourskills in the culinary arts, i.e. learning tocook really healthy and tasty food, thenDenise Ward has the answer. Ward hasfour cooking classes coming up inFebruary and more set for March. Theclasses are held in Ward’s Aptos home andthey’re always upbeat and fun – and youget to eat the spoils afterward.

Info: www.chowhoundcooks.com or [email protected] or call 600-5794.

Distinguished Artists Concerts and Lecture Series

This is a heads up for two wonderfulconcerts set for Feb. 4 and Feb. 5 at the

Cabrillo Crocker Theater in Aptos. Theywill feature the Chamber OrchestraKremlin and acclaimed piano soloist SaraDavis Beuchner.

Info: www.distinguishedartists.org.

Dining Etiquette

Ican never understand why one is givenjust a fork to eat a meal. Please, where is

the knife? How is one expected to slicethrough meat, potatoes and what have youwith the blunt edge of a fork.

Does one have to commit the absolutesin of biting off a chunk of food at the endof one’s fork while the rest remains sus-pended on the tines? If one is served tinybites of food, such as a bowl of rice, then a

fork is not really needed. Otherwise, I pre-fer not to struggle with just a fork and Ialways politely ask my host for a knife aswell. n

•••Josie Cowden is a freelance writer and

proofreader. Contact her at [email protected].


Super Bowl

© Statepoint Media

Answers on 31 »

ACROSS1. No longer required tolick this

6. *Kick catcher9. Manufactured13. BBQ spot14. Argonaut's propeller15. Inside of a jacket16. Lusitania's destroyer17. *___ Bowl, 1 weekbefore Super Bowl

18. _____ peace19. Type of sale21. *Last year's winner23. International tradeorganization

24. Screen material25. Legal group28. Process of seeping

30. Pass away35. A graduate37. Of sound mind39. Specialty40. *Can be used todescribe a safety

41. Item in diary43. To finish with a ceil-ing

44. Twig of willow tree46. It includes upwardand downward dogs

47. It replaced the ECU48. Food of the gods?50. "Where the WildThings Are" rollick

52. Teacher's favorite53. *A field goal wideright, e.g.

55. Immeasurable period57. *She infamouslyhad a wardrobemalfunction

61. *This year's host65. Repent

66. *Defensive ___68. Quechuan people69. Inanimate thing thattalks?

70. Electric swimmer71. Not fashion-minded72. Volcano action73. Wade's opponent74. Austin Powers creator

DOWN1. Basketball star TimDuncan, e.g.

2. Inhibition resultingfrom social custom

3. A-bomb particle4. *Most frequent SuperBowl host

5. Sometimes mashed6. Antonym of "yup"7. ENT's first concern?8. Figure of speech9. Not to be worn,according to PETA

10. ____ Hathaway

11. It can be white-tailedor black-tailed

12. He/she "____ on thesafe side"

15. Bushy tree growth20. *Tony Siragusa'snickname

22. Egyptian cobra24. Trusted advisors25. *Last year's MVP26. Nonchalantly uncon-cerned

27. Derived from gold29. Like a clown31. *Hall-of-Famer andSuper Bowl XXIII MVP

32. Frost over33. Frodo Baggins'homeland

34. Feudal lord's property36. *Team captains do iton the 50 yard line

38. Consequently42. Mandarin's head-quarters

45. The infamousJonBenet ______case

49. Site of 2016Olympics

51. Preacher's platform54. Show contempt56. Nincompoop57. Peach and strawber-ry preserves, e.g.

58. Summit location59. Traffic controller60. "I ____ it!"61. Not in use62. Heart pain63. Hair removal prod-uct

64. #22 Down, pl.67. What's old is newagain, prefix

By Josie Cowden

FeaturedColumnist

&Out About


AnnouncementsVolunteers Needed to Help Get GMO Foods Labeled

Volunteer signature gatherers are need-ed to get “The Label GMO Food Act”

on the 2012 California ballot this fall.According to the US CongressionalResearch Service, 60% - 70% of processedfoods likely contain genetically engineeredmaterials but they are not labeled as such.One-hour training workshops will be heldto review the procedures to successfullygather signatures. Volunteers are asked tocommit to a three-hour time slot per weekover an eight week period from mid-February through April 18. Trainings willtake place at the New Leaf CommunityMarkets, 1101 Fair Ave., Santa Cruz onSunday, Feb. 12, from 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm. To sign up or for more information, visitwww.labelgmos.org/santacruz or [email protected].

Al-Anon

Are you bothered by someone else’s drink-ing? Al-Anon is a 12-Step program for fam-

ily and friends of alcoholics. There are meetingsevery day of the week and there are no dues orfees. For a meeting near you call 831-462-1818 orvisit www.ncwsa.org/d23. Everyone is welcome.

Ongoing EventsOngoing thru April 1Rain Forest Excursions at Roaring CampEveryday at 12:30 pm

Learn about California's own Rain forests (ofcoastal redwoods.) As guests ride at branch

level through a virgin rain forest by steamtrain, fascinating information about theCalifornia coastal redwoods and forest ecosys-tem is revealed. Tickets are $24 for adults, $ 17 for children.Parking is $8. For more information, call(831) 335-4484

First Mondays of the MonthLecture Series on "Great Decisions"7:00pm-8:30 pm, Episcopal Church of St.John, 125 Canterbury Dr. in Aptos

Lectures will be lead by Dr. Laina Farhat-Holzman, sponsored by Santa Cruz Beach,

American Association of University Women.For more information, call (831) 688-0541

Second and Fourth MondaysFirst and Third WednesdaysAlzheimers Support Groups Monday: 2:00 - 3:30pmWednesday: 5:30 – 7:00pm Conference Room at Elena Baskin/Live OakSenior Center, 1777-A Capitola Rd, Santa Cruz

Facilitated by Jill Ginghofer, this group is forcaregivers and family members of people

with Alzheimers.

TuesdaysWomen Care Drop in Cancer Support

Drop in Support Group is a gathering forwomen with all types of cancer. We offer

support for women through all stages fromdiagnoses through treatment. For more information or to register call (831)457-2273

Tuesdays thru Fridays, SundaysSvaroopa® Yoga Instruction at Aptos YogaAptos Yoga, 783 Rio Del Mar Blvd. Ste.23B,Aptos. 831-688-1019

Svaroopa® Yoga is very different fromwhat most of us think of as yoga. With

the support of blankets, beginning studentsrelax into easy poses designed to release thedeepest tensions in the body along thespine. This release deeply relaxes the body,quiets the mind, reduces pain, acceleratesinjury recovery, and promotes better overallhealth. Classes five days each week. FirstClass free. For more information, call 688-1019www.aptosyoga.org

First Tuesdays and Third Wednesdays each monthOrientations to Become Advocates for ChildrenNorth County, 5:30-7p.m., first Tuesday ofmonth (for location details contact Danielle at761-2956 X102) South County, 5:30-7 p.m.,third Wednesday of the month at the CASAOffice, 294 Green Valley Rd. Suite 326,Watsonville.

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)of Santa Cruz County needs your help.

Volunteer 3-5 hours per week to provide sup-port, guidance, and a powerful voice in courtfor children who have been removed fromtheir homes because of abuse or neglect.Everyone welcome, men and bilingual folksespecially encouraged. To RSVP call 761-2956 Ext. 102, or [email protected]

WednesdaysCooking Course on Cancer Prevention and Survivalthru February 15, 6:00pm-8:00pm, New LeafCommunity Markets, 1101 Fair Ave. SantaCruz

Physicians Committee for ResponsibleMedicine is sponsoring a 4-week course

entitled “Food for Life: The Power of Food forCancer Prevention and Survival.” Learn how

proper diet can help prevent and survive can-cer. Topics: how foods fight cancer; beneficiallow-fat, high-fiber foods; dairy and meatalternatives; cancer-fighting compounds; andhealthy weight control. $95 To register, visit www.cancerproject.org/classes, call 831-325-381l, or email [email protected]

Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay ADHD Support Group Meetings6:30pm-8:00pm at Mar Vista ElementarySchool on Soquel Dr.

For more information, contact Jude Brenis [email protected] or call (831) 684-0590

Overeaters Anonymous6:30-7:30pm at Teach by the Beach #50Rancho Del Mar, AptosFor more information, call (831) 429-7906

First Wednesday of the MonthChild Welfare Review6:00pm- 9:00pm 1400 Emeline Avenue room206, Santa Cruz.

The orientation is designed to review thechild welfare system and to give you a

chance to have your question answered bychild welfare staff.To register to one of the meeting and fordirections, please call 454-4024.

Fourth Wednesday each MonthOngoing Constitution Classes7:00 pm Quaker Meeting House, 225 RooneySt. Santa Cruz

View video lessons of an in-depth teachingabout our Constitution, one of the most

respected and copied documents in ournations history. For more information, visitwww.meetup.com/santacruz-freedom-forumor email [email protected]

ThursdaysCapitola-Aptos Rotary Club Meeting12-1:30 p.m. at Seascape Golf Course.

Contact Doug at 831- 724-9192 or [email protected] for more

information.

City Council Member Stephanie Harlan to hold Office Hours in Capitola Mall1:00pm-4:00pm Capitola Mall

Council Member Harlan will meet with resi-dents and persons interested in discussing

City issues at Capitola Mall. She looks forward tomeeting with her constituents and encouragesCapitola residents to stop by and meet with her. For more information or to schedule anappointment, call (831) 475-7184

Second Thursdays of the MonthVeterans of Foreign Wars 6:30 pm, 2259 7th Ave. Santa Cruz

Commander: Ronals Petty. For more information, call (831) 475-9804

Second and Fourth Thursdays of the monthCabrillo Host Lions 7:30pm at the Cabrillo Community Center,Aptos Village Park, 100 Aptos Creek Rd.

Public is invited to all programs. ContactPresident Paul Henry 831-688-31 or Past

President Barbara Chamberlain at 831-688-3356.For meeting/dinner reservations or informa-tion or visit www.cabrillohostlions.org.

FridaysClutterers Anonymous5:30-6:45 Sutter Maternity & Surgical Center,2900 Chanticleer Ave, Soquel Dr. Santa Cruz.

Tired of Clutter? Stuff piling up? Support isavailable. CLA meeting every Friday.

For more info call 426-1868 FREE

SaturdaysCome As You Are Zen9-10:30 am, Ocean Gate Zendo, 920 41stAve. Suite B, Santa Cruz (next to FamilyCycling Center)

Come as you are Zen focuses on Buddhistpractices that enhance our daily lives.

This will be an informal talk with time fordiscussion. Free - donation accepted. Visit oceangatezen.org for more info.

Aptos Certified Farmers Market8:00 -12:00pm at Cabrillo College, Aptos.

The Aptos Market, with over 80 vendors, isopen year round, with the best selections

of fresh fruits and vegetables, plants,seedlings, flowers, local honey, fresh eggs,fresh fish, artisan baked goods and gourmetfoods. In addition, family activities, music,cooking demos by professional chefs, garden-ing workshops, seasonal fairs and events are apart of the market.

Scotts Valley Farmer’s Market9a.m.-1p.m. SV Community Center, 360 Kings Village Drive www.santacruzfarmersmarket.org

Dated EventsSaturday, January 28Capitola Church to Host County-Wide Men's Breakfast8:30 am, Shorelife Community Church inCapitola

Guests will be joined by speaker Jim Stump,Founder & President of Sports Challenge

International and sports mentor at StanfordUniversity. Other guests will include severalcardinal student-athletes, including membersof the Stanford Football Team. $5 per person for breakfast. Tickets availablethru Jan. 25th, call (831) 462-7490

Wednesday February 1Open House: Good Shepherd Catholic School5:30-7:30pm, 2727 Mattison Lane, SC

Tour the school, visit classrooms, view theall-school art exhibit in the gym, and ask

questions of the Good Shepherd faculty andparents. Good Shepherd Catholic School offersaffordable Catholic education in preschoolthrough 8th grade. Financial assistance isavailable.To learn more, visit wwwgsschool, or call(831) 476-4000

Saturday February 4Intro To Svaroopa® Yoga 9 – 10:30 am, Aptos Yoga, 783 Rio Del MarBlvd, Ste 23B, Aptos. 688-1019

Experience how Svaroopa® Yoga works inyour body at an introductory class – FREE

with no obligations. Supported by blankets,you’ll relax into poses that release deep ten-sions in your spine. This unique form of yogaquiets your mind, reduces pain, and acceler-ates injury recovery. For more information and registration, call688-1019 or email [email protected]. n


AnnouncementsAgeless Art Project

Artists/Crafts people volunteers Shareyour talent and make creative expres-

sion possible by leading an art group of carefacility residents. Become an Ageless ArtProject Volunteer. For information call 459-8917 ext. 208

SPECTRA Arts Learning

The Cultural Council of Santa CruzCounty is seeking stories and anecdotes

from people with current or past experiencewith SPECTRA Arts Learning. These storieswill serve as examples of successes studentshave found through the Council’s SPECTRAprogram over the years, and may be used topromote the Council’s Arts LearningResource Directory. If you are an artist, par-ent, teacher or student with a story to shareabout your experience with SPECTRA, youare invited to send a brief narrative to SoniaDeetz at the Cultural Council:[email protected].

Ongoing EventsMondaysLive Team Trivia6:00pm (starting February 6th), Brunos BBQ230 G Mt Hermon RD. Scotts Valley

Teams for trivia can be as few as one personor as large as 20! Great prizes for 1st and

2end place teams.No cost to play.

Mondays and WednesdaysSalsa Rueda Class7:00pm at Louden Nelson Center, 301 CenterSt., Santa Cruz.

Learn Salsa Rueda. For more informationvisit www.salsaruedasantacruz.com or call

831-457-7432

TuesdaysBINGO6:30 p.m. Santa Cruz Elks Lodge, 150 Jewell St.

Hosted by Soquel Sports Foundation. Buy-In $25. Also, we have a special BINGO,

celebrating our 2nd anniversary, on Sept. 28 at6:30. Buy-in only $15. www.soquelsports.com

Tuesdays and WeekendsLive Music on the EsplanadeParadise Beach Grille 215 Esplanade,Capitola.

Live music weekends and acoustic guitarTuesdays.

For schedule and more information: (831)476-4900 Or visit paradisebeachgrille.com

WednesdaysPeninsula Banjo Band7:00 - 8:30 p.m., Harry’s Hofbrau, 390Saratoga Ave, San Jose

Forty-seven years of performing in theBay Area, over 250 popular tunes. Come

see our band for Free in Sunnyvale EveryWednesday. No cover. Contact Lee McLaughlin, Booking Agent,at 408-993-BAND (2263) for informationabout booking the band for Non-profitevents (donations are tax deductible).www.PeninsulaBanjoBand.org

Thursdays thru February 9Learn to Square Dance with the Lucky Steppers6:30 pm, German-American Hall, 230Plymouth St. Santa Cruz

The Lucky Steppers invite you to learn tosquare dance! Classes are held every thurs-

day night. Couples are welcome.Call (831) 722-1131 for more information.

FridaysBallroom Dancing7:30- 11:00pm at Mid-County Senior Center,829 Bay Ave, Capitola.

Live music by The Rainbows.Refreshments, large floor, friendly

atmosphere, free parking. All for a donationof $8 per person.

First Fridays of each monthFirst Friday Art Tour

The First Friday Art Tour is a SantaCruz Institute of Contemporary Arts

event, managed in conjunction with theparticipating art venues. The event takesplace year-round and illuminates some ofthe most talented local artists from localgalleries. To find out where to participate in a FirstFriday art tour, visit firstfridaysantacruz.com(Most galleries are open 12-9 pm for FirstFriday viewings.)

Every other FridayShakespeare Club of Santa Cruz10:30-12:30 pm, First CongregationalChurch, 900 High St. Santa Cruz, Next:January 27

Shakespeare's club is seeking new membersto join in the study of his plays.

For more information, visitwww.fridayshakespeare.org

Fourth Friday of each monthMusical Me Inc. Family Jam Night6:30-8:30p.m. 239 High St., Santa Cruz.

Bring your favorite music to dance toand any instruments you'd like to share

or perform with. Sliding Scale donationper family of $10-$25 (all proceeds goingto our scholarship fund.)For more information call 831-438-3514.

Fourth Saturdays of each monthWriters and Poets Open Mike2:00pm-4:00pm, Porter Memorial Library,3050 Porter St. Soquel

Writers and Poets are invited to a newmonthly open mike reading series.

Come and read your fiction, essays, orpoetry.For more information, call Jean at (831) 475-4221

Dated EventsFriday January 27Saturday January 28Love as Activism:The Revolutionary use of Soul ForceFriday: 7:00 pm- 9:30 pm, Saturday 9:00 am- 5:00pm

Rev. Deborah Johnson and Andrew Harveywill present the key principles of Love as

Activism. The event will also include music by

the Inner Light Choir. Organic lunch available for $10

Friday January 27thru Sunday January 29Frank Duncan Presents: Dance SynergyFriday & Saturday: 6:30 and 8:30, Sunday:2:30, Dance Synergy 9055 Soquel Dr. Aptos

Frank Duncan is putting on another funand upbeat show! Bruce Hall is coming

from Los Angeles to partner with Duncan insinging and dancing roles while he will beaccompanied on piano by Dashiel Reed.Performances will be held in Duncan'sDance Synergy Studio: A 40-seat intimatesetting. Tickets are $30 and will include cheese, crack-er, and wine. To learn more, visit www.dance-synergy.com or call (831) 359-1630

Saturday, January 28Awakening the Dreamer: Changing the Dream Symposium1:00pm-5:00pm Unitarian UniversalistFellowship of SC County, 6401 FreedomBlvd. Aptos

This is a workshop which explores newways of seeing the big sustainability,

spiritual, and social justice opportunitiesand challenges of our time. This workshopwill include videos from innovative leaderson topics ranging from the planet's dwin-dling bio diversity to growing economic dis-parities, as well as lively participation inbreakout groups. For details and registration, visitwww.awakeningthedreamer.com, for moreinformation call (831) 566-8458There will be a small donation asked for at thedoor, but no one will be turned away for lackof funds.

Monday January 30Free Introductory Meeting for DeniseVivar & Feng Shui Metamorphisis6:00-7:00pm, Le Salon Santa Cruz, 402Ingalls St. Santa Cruz

This is a free introduction to the Feng Shuiworkshop. In the workshop participants

will focus on the internal environment andmove outward. Discussions and exercises on

topics such as body esteem, self-knowledgeand relationship issues, as addressed by lead-ing psychologists and spiritual teachers, willbe followed with feng shui assignments tosupport the practice. The workshop series willbegin the next week.For more information, contact Denise at [email protected]

Saturday February 4Play Day in the Arts: Just Making Boxes10:00-1:00pm, Downtown Felton

Just Making Boxes is about using recycledmaterials and making one-of-a-kind boxes.

This class is designed for professional womenwho wish to take a break & have a play day.Great time for Valentine's Day gifts. $45,includes boxes and materials.Call Janet: 831-335-0553 or email [email protected]

Saturday February 4Sunday February 5Building Blocks: Winds and Piano in CombinationSaturday: 8:00pm, Sunday: 3:00pmChrist Lutheran church 10707 Soquel Dr.Aptos

The audience will hear compositionsfrom the late 19th and 20th centuries

featuring delightful and diverse combina-tions of these melodic instruments directedby oboist Peter Lemberg, with JeffreyGallagher. Tickets are available for 1/2 hour before theperformance, and at Santacruztickets.com.. For more information, call (831) 425-3149 ore mail [email protected]

Saturday February 11Aptos Highschool's Zumbathon11:00am-1:00pm, Aptos High Gym

How's your new year's resolution to get fitgoing? Need motivation? Want to have

some fun? Well ditch the workout and join thePARTY! Don't miss the fun workout and danc-ing with friends. Support the school and saveour programs.$10 entry fee. All proceeds go to support andsustain vital school programs & provideclassroom supplies. n

Pisces (Feb. 19-Mar. 20)Intriguing changes are happening quite subtly. Your ruler Neptune,slips into your sign and a shift in your attitudes and beliefs is likely.You may be a little lethargic and not at all competitive or motivatedbut this is fine. You have a way of having your finger on the pulse andcan easily tune into the mood of the moment. You have an intuitivelink to others which could be the start of something very important.The Sun moves into Pisces on the 19th and this is the start of a newphase for you. In the meantime, set your intentions and and also yourboundaries.

Aries (March 21-April 20)It's time to change the rules a little and do something different. You areencouraged to be self expressive and allow your differences to shine,rather than trying to conform to what others expect from you. Initially,fantastic chemistry makes a relationship sizzle, and you have plans fora weekend away and a chance to get to know someone. Venus entersyour sign on the 8th and you can look forward to a period of greatercooperation and a willingness from others to go with your ideas. Afterthe 19th, you are a little more spiritual and reflective.

Taurus (April 21-May 21)Changes in your working life maybe something to do with your recentplans, or you find that you are having these disruptions forced on you.See this as a starting point for a new way of being. Perhaps ideas anddreams have been on the back burner while you attend to more practi-cal concerns around money, but this could change this month. Jupiter ishelpful in your sign and encourages growth and making the best ofwhat you have. As such you are amazingly resourceful.

Gemini (May 22-June 21)At last, you see your way forward, and while you have felt the situationhasn't been quite right previously, helpful influences ensure that you areon the right track. Sometimes you need confirmation this is so.Everything happens at the time it needs to although you have been jus-tifiably impatient. You could be signing up for a course or learning newskills, which are more in line with what you really enjoy rather thanwhat you are obliged to do. After the 19th, check out opportunitiesaround work and see how circumstances conspire to put you in thespotlight.

Cancer (June 22-July 22)You instinctively feel that this is turning out to e a year of change and assuch you are in the process of a leaving a situation but you will soonenter a new one. This could be around a relationship, or your workinglife, or simply you could be ditching outworn beliefs that no longerserve you. Welcome what is coming as it shows that you are on the rightpath. Take note of the Full Moon on the 7th as this falls in your chartarea of finances, and what you do to earn a living. Working for yourselfis becoming more of a possibility.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 23)This is an important month for you Leo, as you and your special othertake steps to deepen your relationship. The Sun in your opposite signcan give you clues about who you are and how others see you andyou must take credit for how special you are, and what a differenceyou make. You know everyone needs to be appreciated, and youcould do with a little more than you have been getting! The Full Moonon the 7th is your time to shine and brings matters to a head. After the19th a shift in energy results in an important decision and a new wayforward.

Virgo (Aug. 24-Sep. 22)You feel at home this month, Virgo, and see that the world seems to beon the same wavelength as you, or much of it is. Your ruler, Mercury,joins the Sun in Aquarius — emotionally you are cool headed andpractical, and can make sound judgments, but it always pays to dothings a little differently with new information. Leading a healthylifestyle is preferable as prevention is better than cure, so by practicingeverything in moderation you will avoid your body and mind gettingtoo stressed.

Libra (Sep. 23-Oct. 23)You cannot help learning just by watching, listening and absorbingwhat is going on around you. Some lessons take longer than others, andyou may need more practice but even so, when you get chance to lookback you see how far you have come. This month continues to offer youhope and opportunities and you see things in a wider context. TheAquarian Sun is inclusive of everyone, a great leveller and your naturalfair mindedness has a chance to shine and put right what is necessary.Venus enters your opposite sign on the 8th, enhancing your relation-ships.

Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)This month, Neptune, the most spiritual plenty enters Pisces. This isharmonious with your sign and you will find that relationships and sit-uations that are guided by emotion play out much more than thosebased on logic. How you feel is more important than what you do andyour goal needs to be find a peaceful heart and mind. Be authentic inwhat you do and how you express yourself, particularly around midmonth. Take nothing for granted and work with what you are naturallygood at.

Sagittarius (Nov. 23-Dec. 21)You are travelling more than usual and there are plenty of people youwant to see. Your plans are getting off the ground but you are waitingfor some important information. Practical matters are being attended toand this is a great time to start an early spring clean or change yourenvironment. Lend a helping hand to those who are just starting out.Creating better circumstances by taking on board good advice fromexperts and those who have had experience. Let your ambitions start totake shape.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)You are beginning to see your plans take shape and this month you arefocusing on your finances. It may be necessary to budget a little orinvest wisely, but you are also keen to help out someone who could dowith a bit of good luck. Your common sense approach can give clearguidance to others which is welcome and useful. Have you everthought of writing a book? If this is one of your recent ideas, it's worthpursuing. You add a new string to your bow through an unexpectedopportunity.

Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb. 18)This month Neptune leaves your sign, and the fog clears. Perhaps thisnew clarity will motivate you to make the changes you know you must,if you are to see the progress you want. Mercury in your sign is alsohelping you to formulate plans, and play around with fresh ideas. It isas though you are looking for something but haven't yet found it. Thismakes more sense towards the end of the month when you get tangibleresults of just starting with a theory. Relationships improve with a feel-ing of cooperation rather than confrontation.

•••Find Out More www.AnnabelBurton.tv

Your February HoroscopeAnnabel Burton • Astrologer ©


From PBS’ “AntiquesRoadshow” to A&E’s “StorageWars,” reality TV has capital-

ized on our fascination with discov-ering treasure in household junk.��It happened to historian MichaelMendoza, whose patient cullingthrough boxes of old papers wasrewarded when he found a Civil Warveteran’s personal account of hisexperiences.

The 17-page letter was so rich indetail, Mendoza(www.dentedcanenterprises.com)used it as the basis of his first novel,“Glorious Reality of War.” Mendozaowned an antiques store in 1997when 95-year-old Alice Bowersockdied in San Diego, Calif., he says. Heacquired her estate: furniture, knick-knacks, and stacks of boxes full ofphotographs, insurance policies andletters.

Most people, Mendoza notes,might trash thepapers right offthe bat. “Don’t,”he says. “Toss orsell the knick-knacks, and keepthe paper. It canbe invaluable.”

Co l l e c t o r svalue ephemerabecause suchpaper records are unique and irre-placeable, he says, so he poredthrough the boxes page by page,finding birth and death records,paintings and prints, old books.“And then I saw the letter – a docu-mented firsthand experience of theCivil War. It was written in 1925,typed on 8½-by-14-inch paper,”Mendoza says. “Reading it, I got areal good sense of who (the writer)was.”

Charles Wesley Rickard was 64when he wrote the letter to hisdaughter, Alice, who had asked himto write about his war experience. Hewas a 15-year-old Iowa farm boy, hewrote, when “a great desire cameover me to go to the war. My parentswere loathe to give their consent, andso I made life miserable for themuntil they finally gave in.”

In 1862, he enlisted as a Unionfifer because he was too young toserve as a private. “I had never seena fife before,” Rickard wrote. “But I

could use a rifle, and I was bound togo as something.” When the fight-ing began, he was in the thick of it.Three years later and all of 18 yearsold, he remembers noting how veryyoung the new replacement troopslooked.

Mendoza kept Rickard’s letterand sold off some of the memorabil-ia. “I knew the value was more inpresenting it as a historical fictionnovel,” he says. Finding inspirationfor a novel may not equate to strikingit rich for everyone, but people will-ing to invest time in sorting throughold family papers stand to profit,Mendoza says.

“Many things are valuable ontheir own, like first editions of classicbooks,” he says. “But don’t forget thefamily records. Even if you’re notinto genealogy, you should savethose, because once you throw themaway, they’re lost to the next genera-tion.”

Mendoza offers these tips fordealing with old paperwork:

• Don’t throw it away simplybecause it’s damaged. Mendozafound a first-edition copy of “Gonewith the Wind” that was so water-logged, it was destroyed. “I sold itfor $80,” he says, “and that wascheap.”

• Put together items on thesame topic to improve chances ofselling to collectors. Collectors liketo buy in lots, Mendoza notes.They’d rather have a whole bunch ofthings than just one. Among AliceBowersock’s belongings, Mendozafound photographs and documentsfrom her father’s time helping tobuild the Panama Canal. Mendozapulled all the canal material togeth-er and sold it to a collector.

• Store papers in an open zip-per bag in a dry place. If the paper isvery valuable, invest in bagsdesigned for that purpose.Otherwise, zipper baggies from thegrocery store do fine. Don’t sealthem, though, because if there’s noair circulation, the paper might stickto the plastic.

• Digitize everything. Scanningyour documents and photographsallows you to study them withoutdamaging them.

For the record – Mendoza is stillgoing through Alice Bowersock’sboxes. n

Michael Mendoza holds a master’sdegree in American history and is anadjunct instructor for Central TexasCollege. He lives in Santee, Calif., andplans a sequel to “Glorious Reality ofWar.”

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Michael Mendoza

“Many things are valuable on their own, like first editionsof classic books. But don’t forget the family records. Evenif you’re not into genealogy, you should save those,because once you throw them away, they’re lost to the nextgeneration.” — Michael Mendoza

By Mike Conrad, Division Chief Operations, Aptos La Selva Fire Protection District .


SPCA Featured Pet:Avril Is So Uncomplicated

One cold winter day this adorable four-month-old Chihuahua mix tiptoed out ofthe bushes and crawled into the arms of a woman waiting at a bus stop for herson. As they began the short trek home, the little black dog followed them to their

doorstep, begging not to be left behind. They kept her overnight and brought her to anovercrowded shelter the next day. Little Avril waited for her owners to come get her butday after day … but no one came.

Now she patiently yet eagerly waits at the Santa Cruz SPCA for something verysimple and uncomplicated…a new home. Avril is as sweet as sweet comes. She providesexcellent snuggles and kisses and seems to thoroughly enjoy everyone she meets. Hertail wags at the sight of a person and she is very responsive to voice.

Avril is about eight pounds and although she is young, she is not super high ener-gy and would do fine in a smaller house with a few walks a day. She would also do greatas a companion to another dog but could be the only dog as well. Avril is the type of dogthat could probably fit into most any loving home whether there are kids, cats, or otherdogs. She simply wants someone to love and care for her. In return, she will give backher heart, her love, her kisses and her snuggles. If Avril sounds like a good fit for you,come and see how uncomplicated this girl really is!

Our adoption package for dogs and cats includes spay/neuter, vaccinations, micro-chipping, an ID tag, collar, a free health exam with a licensed Veterinarian, one month’sfree health insurance, discounted crate purchase and other animal care materials.

If you would like to help animals like Avril and her orphaned friends, please con-sider donating to the Santa Cruz SPCA. The Santa Cruz SPCA is a 501c3 charitableorganization and receives no government funding, relying solely on public donations torun its many programs that benefit the animals and people of ourcommunity.

For more information call the Santa Cruz SPCA at 465-5000, orvisit www.santacruzspca.org. The SPCA is located at 2685Chanticleer Avenue in Santa Cruz, CA 95065 and is open to thepublic Tuesday through Sunday, 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 p.m. n

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FeaturedColumnist

Reversal ofSeasons

Is it just me, or did this past summerseem cold and damp and this winter sofar is warm and dry? I am sure you are

all aware of the lack of rain we have hadthis winter, it started off with a bang earlybut the last couple of months have beenbone dry. So dry in fact that across portionsof California including Santa Cruz Countyand our neighboring counties there is aban on backyard burning. Areas have fuelmoistures that are as low as what we mightsee in August or September.

I wish I knew what this all means arewe in for a dry win-ter which can meana higher fire dangerthis summer, if sonow would be agood time to startworking on yourbrush clearances sothat as we get intosummer all youhave left to do ismaintain it whichwill leave you moretime to enjoy thesummer. If thismeans we are due toget a lot of rain dur-ing the last half ofwinter now is thetime that you mustmake sure yourproperty is ready toreceive a lot of rainby clearing gutters,eaves and protecting areas of bare soil.

The TV weather people are calling fora chance of rain the week of January 16 Iguess by the time this appears in the paperwe will know if we got it or not. The fireweather people are saying that there isonly a small amount of precipitationexpected over the next 30 days so onlytime will tell. However again in either casethis would be a good time to make sureyou are prepared for whatever MotherNature has in store for us.

This year I hope to use this article tohelp people get more familiar with theAptos la Selva Fire Protection District. TheFire District was established in 1930 atwhich time it was a completely volunteerorganization. The first full time employeewas hired in 1964 at which time the FireDistrict started to change to a completely

paid organization as it is today.The current fire station #1 located at

6934 Soquel Dr. was built in 1968; it wasfollowed by station 2 at 300 Bonita Dr. in1973. Many people ask about the appear-ance of station 2, it was built as a homewith a large two-car garage. This was donefor two reason first the station was builtduring the prop 13 time and the Districtwas unsure of its continued fundingsources for this station so it was construct-ed as a home to be able to sell it if the fund-ing was no longer available to utilize it as

a fire station. The sec-ond reason was sothat as a fire station itwould blend in withthe community andits surroundinghomes.

In 1985 station 3at 312 Estrella Dr. inLa Selva became partof the fire district as aresult of at first a JointPowers Agreementand then in 1986 aconsolidation of theAptos and La SelvaFire Districts.

These three sta-tions are located toprotect the Fire dis-tricts 17 square milesand 22,000 residentsin addition to thethousands of annual

visitors who come to experience the won-ders of the place we call home.

All three of our stations are staffed 24hours a day 365 days a year by a FireCaptain, Firefighter and aFirefighter/Paramedic. If you would like atour of one of our fire station please call theoffice and an appointment can be schedulefor you. If you happen to drive by and seethe doors open feel free to stop in, and ifthe crews are not busy with training orsome other project they are more than will-ing to show off their station and equip-ment to you. To schedule a station tour,please contact Deputy Fire MarshalWallace at 685-6690. n

•••If you have questions for me or ideas you

would like to see in future articles feel free tocontact me at [email protected]

This year Ihope to usethis article tohelp people getmore familiarwith the Aptosla Selva FireProtectionDistrict.

Keeping AptosSmilingfor over 20 Years!

BRIAN DEL CORE, DDS

Dr. D

783 Rio Del Mar Blvd.Suite 71A, Aptos

831.688.3012www.delcoredental.com

FAMILYDENTISTRY

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Aptos Times February 1st 2012