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Arts + Action News
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Friday May 9
12PM Santa Cruz Film Festival VII: The BIG Picture
6PM Sing Out for Peace and Justice – in San Jose
6PM Berkeley Critical Mass Bicycle Ride
6PM "Rising Stars" 17th annual high school show
7PM Film Screening - Preserve Me A Seat
8PM SACCO AND VANZETTI at Santa Cruz GDI
8PM The Leftist Gorillas of Comedy
10PM Crank Mob
Saturday May 10
11AM Pangea Day Screening at Lark Theater
12PM FREE Palestine, Peace and Solidarity Festival
3PM Zoofront Fundraiser
7PM PEACE CONCERT with Peter S. Beagle speaking in...
More Events...

Santa Cruz Film Festival VII: The BIG Picture The Santa Cruz Film Festival welcomes independent filmmakers, musicians, and artists to Santa Cruz for a 9-day celebration of film and culture May 9-17. The Santa Cruz Film Festival is a growing international festival that fosters cross cultural exchange by screening independent films and producing multi-disciplined art events throughout the year.

This year's films stir the soul and contemplate the BIG picture, from war and oil to the meaning of life. The Festival kicks-off May 9th at the Del Mar Theatre with "One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Jack Kerouac's Big Sur." The film explores Kerouac's final and critically praised book Big Sur with the family of fellow beat-ster Neal Cassady. Other films in this year's festival include Les Paul--Chasing Sound, Programming the Nation?, Ripple Effect, Fields of Fuel and 140 other films that consider The BIG Picture. Read More
Sat May 3 2008 SF May Day RTS
Reclaim the Streets In San Francisco On May Day, there was a Reclaim the Streets action in San Francisco. A little over 100 people participated. The mobile party started in Civic Center and went all the way to golden gate park.

It left Civic Center around six PM. There was some confrontation early on while leaving Civic Center. The participants were pushed back onto the sidewalk for about five blocks and then claimed the streets once again. The police abandoned dealing with the party and soon left afterwards. At this point in time the party continued zig-zagging Haight street with some minor confrontations with motorists. Gaining more support along the way the part ended up at Golden Gate park in which a parked bus provided some tunes for a dance party and chalk/art session. Cops came later on and the people still danced. Eventually the action faded.

Photos: photo1 | 2
On Wednesday, April 9th, the Olympic Torch came to San Francisco. The Olympics will be taking place between August 8th and 24th in Beijing, China. Many human rights groups are concerned that China is cracking down on dissidents ahead of the games. Some pro-Tibetan organizations have called for a boycott of the Olympics, and organizations such as Amnesty International are upset with China's involvement in the crises in Darfur and Burma. Thousands of people gathered in an Francisco to either cheer or protest, but few saw the torch as the relay did not go along the announced route and the closing ceremony was cancelled. One torchbearer tried to display a Tibetan flag but the SFPD quickly took the torch from her and pushed her onto the sidewalk.
Interview with Three Santa Cruz Roller Girls on Freak Radio On March 10th, Roxy Scarmichael, Robin YoLife, and Charlie Red Stick, three members of the Santa Cruz Roller Girls (SCRG), spoke with Phil Free in the Freak Radio studio about the art of roller derby, creating SCRG and their upcoming first season starting March 15th at the Civic in Santa Cruz.

SCRG is the first all-female, full-contact, flat-track roller derby league in Santa Cruz. Established in 2007 by women who had a dream to bring the sport and art of roller derby back to Santa Cruz, SCRG is operated by and for the skaters. Behind the scenes, skaters practice three to four times a week and do off-skates cross-training as well. imc_audio.gifRead More and Listen to Audio
10th EarthVision International Environmental Film Festival EarthVision 2008, which marks ten years of inspiring environmental films, will be held March 3rd – 8th. Award winning films, and two world premiers, will be screened at the Mello Center in Watsonville and at the Rio Theatre and the Veterans Memorial Hall in Santa Cruz.

The festival will be screening films from 13 countries, including 7 produced in the Monterey Bay area. The films are powerful educational tools for Santa Cruz, as entries are shown throughout the year on Community TV.

The EarthVision International Environmental Film Festival grew out of the documentary work of partners Katherine Knight and Ed Schehl. The couple wanted to create a venue in which environmental filmmakers converge and consider each others' work.

Read More | Schedule: March 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th
Gabriela León: Sunday Walk to the Zócalo of Oaxaca The exhibition "Sunday Walk to the Zócalo of Oaxaca" is a multi-media artistic response to the popular revolt and resistance that unfolded in Oaxaca in 2006 and the first traveling solo exhibition outside of Mexico for artist Gabriela León. Some of the elements of the exhibition consist of a "barricade dress" made of barbed-wire, tire treads and mattress springs found amidst the detritus; a video projection of the artist wearing the dress walking among protestors and police; a sound installation that evokes the voices of the crowds; and tarps inspired by the temporary living structures during the lengthy protest.

The exhibit will be at Sesnon Gallery (2nd floor of Porter College) at UC Santa Cruz until March 8th. An opening reception on took place on January 29th followed by an artist talk at Oakes 105, UC Santa Cruz. imc_photo.gifRead More and View Photos

imc_audio.gifAudio and Photos from the Artist Talk
Sun Feb 3 2008 (Updated 02/05/08) Kinetic Poetics, Santa Cruz Spoken Word
Kinetic Poetics Project Festival at UC Santa Cruz February 3rd marked the first night of Kinetic Poetics Project, a five day poetry and spoken word festival at UCSC's Porter College Theater. Each night, the Kinetic Poetics Project provides a space for local and student poets to showcase their work for the community and highlights an established poet. As a supplement to the featured poets' performances, the Kinetic Poetics Project has arranged free poetry and writing workshops facilitated by the poets themselves.

Kinetic Poetics is a volunteer organization ran by and for UC Santa Cruz students to foster and sustain growth of the spoken word community rooted on the UCSC campus. This happens through organizing regular slam poetry events at UCSC, including poetry slams and poetry workshops, an annual campus spoken word festival, and a poetry collective that engages the campus community and beyond.

Schedule: Feb. 3rd: 1st Night || Feb. 4th: Slam Semi-Finals || Feb. 5th: Rainbow Theatre Showcase! || Feb. 6th: Slam Team Finals Featuring Saul Williams || Feb. 7th: Open Mic featuring You!
Perched in the stairwell of the UCSC extension building, Santa Cruz police officer Auldridge was filming the drum circle and Food Not Bombs at the Farmers' Market on January 30th, presumably with regards to the new "15 minute parking lot rule." The filming was interrupted when a man began waving a "Don't Tread On Me" flag in front of the camera. After being blocked by the flag for several minutes and being observed by a growing crowd, the officer left the building and waved to the camera.
Fri Feb 1 2008 (Updated 02/02/08) Photography Exhibit by Peter Maiden
The Faces of Latin Music Peter Maiden, Photo Coordinator for Indybay, is currently showing his pictures of Latin Music, shot for Latin Beat Magazine, Timba.com, and many other publications. The show includes 16 digital prints in black and white and color, and covers the years 1998-2007. The photos are on display at 1705 Mission Street in Santa Cruz and will remain up throughout the month of February. Read More
Activism Right There Festival at UC Berkeley On Friday, February 1st, UC Berkeley's "Activism Right There" festival will culminate with an event that aims to catalyze a student community dedicated to cross-cultural organizing, political engagement and service. The board at Youth Speaks, SPOKES, will hold a reception from 5:30-6:30pm at the Heller Lounge at UC Berkeley featuring Youth Speaks poets, Cal reps, and bay area youth activists and organizations; along with a live DJ and free food.The festival will involve over thirty different student organizations and communities, as well as youth and community organizations from throughout the Bay Area.

The reception will serve as the gateway for a concert in the Zellerbach Auditorium that is taking place at 7pm. The evening will feature socially-conscious spoken word and hip-hop artists from around the nation, as well as student artists and a panel on the history of activism at Cal. Panelists will include Bettina Aptheker of the Free Speech Movement and Jeff Chang, the author of Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation, and activist in the anti-apartheid movement of the 1980s. The concert will feature artists including: Zion I, Ammo (champions of the 2007 Youth and Collegiate National Poetry Slams), Siren's Echo, and others. Marc Bamuthi Joseph will host. Youth Speaks asks that youth who plan to attend this free event send an email RSVP'ing to hold a spot for them and their friends.

Youth Speaks's annual series of youth poetry slams will begin in February.

Activism Right There | Youth Speaks ||Performers: Zion I | Kate Wirsing | Andrea Gibson | Gabriel Teodros | iLL-Literacy | Host: Marc Bamuthi Joseph
Santa Cruz Reclaims Peoples' Parking Lot #4 The community of Santa Cruz won a victory on January 23rd in Parking Lot #4, the lot at Cathcart and Cedar. There under the two tall trees, the weekly drum circle bounced back from last week's police intimidation. Last week cops with ticketbooks dispersed the drummers, Food Not Bombs, and anyone loafing, loitering, or lingering with warnings of $100+ fines.

On January 23rd the crowd nervously returned, lured by food. It grew as the Trash Orchestra began to play. Drummers afraid perhaps of losing their instruments slowly joined in. The trumpeteer returned. Even spectateurs began violating the law by standing on the parking lot without visibly "retrieving or parking" a car or bike--to watch a violent police incident arresting a homeless woman. Even after sunset, the triumphant drumming continued and the crowd danced, children cavorted, and Santa Cruz took a deep breath of air from an earlier sweeter era. Police, except for the one incident involving Officer Cline, stayed away, presumably daunted by the potential prospect of giving out dozens of tickets and having to confront some who were willing to "risk arrest". imc_video.gifRead More and Watch Videos

imc_photo.gifPhotos: Beat It! This is Our Parking Lot!
Wed Jan 16 2008 (Updated 01/21/08) Trash Orchestra Responds with a Call for More Drummers
On January 16th at about 4:20pm, Santa Cruz Police Sgt. Flippo, Officer Auldridge, and three other cops (two as back-up) began writing warnings to folks on the edges of the drum circle in the Cathcart parking lot. The drummers, after ignoring the police for awhile, moved to Pacific Avenue to continue drumming at Soquel and Pacific. The Trash Orchestra calls for drummers to participate in a rousing drum circle on Wednesday, January 23rd at the Cathcart parking lot.
On two successive Wednesdays, December 26th and January 2nd, police officers ordered a peaceful drum circle to leave the parking lot on Cedar Street alongside the Santa Cruz Farmers Market. The police are enforcing a new municipal ordinance, which went into effect in mid-November, that activists refer to as the 'Parking Lot Panic Law.' The merchant-backed law prohibits lingering in a parking lot or garage, unless you have a vehicle there (and then only for fifteen minutes).
Musings From Within the Triple Fun Zone Rico writes, "This year, the third year of the Last Night DIY celebration, did you notice the trend of the city starting to claim the party as it's own? It's awesome to feel accepted of course, but it's a double-edged sword. After the first couple years of getting nothing but grief from the cautious city administrators, conservative local media, and uniformed fascists, this year the Senile and the Good Times claimed that the celebration was "quickly becoming a Santa Cruz tradition," and "was a uniquely Santa Cruz event." Hahaha. That cracks me up.

This year, Ed Porter himself "acknowledged the positive contribution Last Night DIY has made on the community." Two years ago, he characterized us in City Council and in the press as common lawbreakers. Oh well. So goes politicians. You watch, within a few years, you'll hear Ryan Coonerty and Mike Rotkin telling the media how they support the celebration and always have. If you don't budge, the system eventually redraws it's circle of acceptability around you. So if you live under empire and you have dreams of living free, you have to keep stepping outside of that circle." Read More | imc_photo.gifPhotos: Parade | Street Party

Previous Years: 2006 Announcement | SCPD Violated Civil Rights Of Parade Organizers | Police Infiltrate Peaceful Parade Organizers | 2005 Celebration
iCal feed From the Calendar:
8PM Friday May 9 ThreePenny Opera
10PM Friday May 9 Crank Mob
3PM Saturday May 10 Zoofront Fundraiser
3PM Sunday May 11 Trash Orchestra Practice
7PM Wednesday May 14 Sacramento Poets Against War
7:30PM Wednesday May 14 Hysteria
8PM Wednesday May 14 Rad.ical Film Night: They Live
7PM Friday May 16 Big & Small
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Venezuelan Music Ensemble Visiting Bay Area on U.S. Tour Venezuela Information Office
Tuesday May 6th 2:19 PM
Central Valley DIY (do it yourself) Fest. coming to Modesto Ca, in June Wingnut Willy (2 comments)
Tuesday May 6th 11:52 AM
Reel Work Film Festival update claire
Sunday May 4th 6:59 PM
Santa Cruz Film Festival VII: The BIG Picture Jane Sullivan (1 comment)
Sunday May 4th 5:16 PM
May Day Reclaim The Streets tristan
Saturday May 3rd 3:18 PM
Earth Day Lite- inSanity Cruz! Editorial grrrant@cruzio.com (1 comment)
Saturday May 3rd 7:08 AM
Reclaim the Streets Action CL and Otis
Friday May 2nd 11:06 PM
D-Q University Benefit Show in Patterson Ca, Sat. May 17th Wingnut Willy
Wednesday Apr 30th 1:31 PM
Hip Hop Concert to Save Native American University (5/2) AM Harara
Thursday Apr 24th 11:43 PM
Modesto Anarcho #7! Modesto Anarcho (3 comments)
Thursday Apr 24th 12:09 AM
FUN WITH SCRAP METAL with Trash Orchestra and the Bike Church! (4/26) Santa Cruz Trash Orchestra
Wednesday Apr 23rd 2:14 PM
Abolish SF street fairs? Please attend 4/15 meeting! TBL (1 comment)
Monday Apr 14th 6:47 PM
More Local News...
The day the music died dive into mark (repost)
Wednesday May 7th 2:32 PM
Body of War at La Jolla Village Cinema and in SF DeeDee Halleck (1 comment)
Saturday May 3rd 7:15 AM
Pink Honda and Organic Abstractions at CorkStop Studios! Anne Stahl
Wednesday Apr 30th 9:34 PM
Book review: “Not Everyone Can Throw Stones” via the Electronic Intifada
Monday Apr 28th 7:11 PM
Singer Patti Smith demands U.S. CLOSE GUANTANAMO PRISON, NOW! Todd Baesen (1 comment)
Sunday Apr 27th 1:21 AM
SDS revised Olympia SDS
Thursday Apr 17th 1:36 PM
Bill Hatch: In Praise of Hippies and the Counter-Culture BILL HATCH via Counterpunch
Tuesday Apr 15th 10:33 AM
The dubious politics behind the Beijing Olympics protests wsws (reposted)
Thursday Apr 10th 8:16 AM
Madeleine Bordallo Accepts Post As Camp Roxas Film Project Chairwoman Bernie Provido Schumann
Wednesday Apr 9th 5:34 AM
The Olympic Torch: Symbol of Global Economic Neoliberalism RWF (10 comments)
Tuesday Apr 8th 11:26 AM
More Global News...
Olympic Torch Hurts Uighur Muslims IOL (reposted) (1 comment)
Monday May 5th 8:17 AM
Grateful Dead Archives Given to UCSC Ginny Steel (ucsc repost) (1 comment)
Thursday Apr 24th 10:01 AM
Anti-French Protests Escalate in China NAM (reposted)
Tuesday Apr 22nd 7:04 AM
Russia is waiting for a cultural revolution. Pol Newton.
Wednesday Apr 16th 5:35 PM
LORCA SUMMER FESTIVAL Info
Sunday Apr 13th 8:31 PM
Chinese Rally Around Olympic Torch NAM (reposted)
Friday Apr 11th 7:59 AM
Robeson Play comes to San Francisco (1 night only!) Tayo Aluko
Sunday Apr 6th 5:43 PM
Open Newswire...
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