Thursday, February 26
Palmetto offers up a tasty serving of hot and steamy noir with a Southern twist.
When it comes to the art of cooking or filmmaking, there is often something to be said for sticking closely to a tried-and-true recipe. In the case of the stylish noir thriller Palmetto, German director ...
The decision is yours but it's complicated.
Rain is pouring outside your kitchen window and your spouse is doing work from the office on a makeshift desk, wedged between the door and the counter. As you wash vegetables for dinner, you splash ...
Letters
Real Facts? I laughed so hard I couldn't help spilling my corn flakes in my lap as I read Doug Thompson's letter in today's Coast Weekly (Feb. 19). How stupid do Mssrs. Thompson and Summers ...
Is Monterey County real estate still a good investment?
It may be hard to believe that real estate could get any more expensive in Monterey County, but it appears that prices will continue to soar into the future. The current upswing in real estate ...
Cafe Fina
You could say that Dominic Mercurio knows the wharf pretty well. He's spent some time there over the last 30 years. "A bunch of us used to come down here every day in the summer ...
One is good, the other's great.
A pre-qualification certificate is a document from a lender stating that, on the basis of general information provided, you will qualify for a home loan of a given amount. The pre-qualification process is informal and ...
Green Roots, Blues Roots--Live Celtic soul meets recorded Delta soul.
In terms of touring roots-type bands this week, it''s kind of slow around town. But that''s cool, because there are a couple of CDs I''ve been jonesing to tell you about. But first things first. ...
By Catherine Coburn
"The thing. You know, that whatchamacallit, with the holes. That thing," he croaked, pronouncing it "Dat ting." By this time, my long-lost septuagenarian great-uncle-twice-removed and I were both worn out from drawing word pictures in ...
Initiative aims to curb labor donations that don't have member's consent.
"Plain wrong and un-American" is how the governor''s office describes political fundraising by state labor unions. That is why Gov. Pete Wilson has signed on as honorary campaign chairman for a ballot initiative that would ...
Repairs were desperately needed for Monterey County--and then came the storms.
If it seems to you there are more potholes on local roads than there used to be, it''s not just your imagination. Due to severe financial constraints, Monterey County''s Public Works Department has been putting ...
Big Sur residents are marooned in paradise.
Valentine''s Day weekend is usually one of the busiest days at Big Sur River Inn. Its 20 rooms are booked months in advance with couples anticipating a stay at one of the most rugged, romantic ...
Proposition 218 sends local agency to the people with hat in hand.
The late tax guerrilla Howard Jarvis, father of California''s legendary tax-slashing initiative Proposition 13, must be laughing from his grave. Thanks to efforts by Jarvis acolytes, in 1996 voters passed Proposition 218, which says government ...
Program and Practice--Ensemble Monterey attacks challenging 20th-century works but needs more musical boot camp.
The most valuable thing about Ensemble Monterey has turned out to be its programming. Though its name implies a core group, Ensemble Monterey can and does engage professional musicians from throughout the Monterey Bay area, ...
Get the info you need, and then sharpen your pencil and do your homework.
If your mortgage rate is over 8 percent, get your head out of the sand and refinance your loan. Those with a rate between 7 and 8 percent, sharpen your pencils. You have some math ...
Saddam Hussein--Back to Iraq?
Almost six years ago, Saddam attacked Kuwait, and the United States attacked him so we wouldn''t have to carpool to work. But it didn''t quite work out that way. Saddam isn''t playing nice and we''re ...
Sunchild and Storm--Surfin' rock band Sunchild returns to Whitey's; Storm Nielsen and others inaugurate Media Room.
With stormy weather along the coastline this winter, the swells have picked up in intensity, sweeping surfers toward the shore on a fluid path of exhilaration, spin drift spray in their wake. At Lovers Point ...
Some written guides to finding out what you need to know:
How to Buy a House in California By Ralph Warner, Ira Serkes & George Devine This book shows you how to find a house, work with a real estate agent, make an offer and negotiate ...
What's the difference?
A fixed-rate loan provides a set interest rate throughout the life of the loan so the payment will always be the same amount. An adjustable-rate loan has an interest rate that''s tied to an index, ...
From The Editorial Desk
I never had house-owning on my list of prerequisites for eternal happiness. And yet, I am in love with the little house we own, unabashedly in love with its gentle curves, wide windows and polished ...
Web Feat--We proudly introduce www.coastweekly.com--a resource for life in the '90s.
It''s hard to imagine life before the printing press--life before commuting to work in a private car with Mick Jagger in concert sound--life before warming a frozen burrito in a microwave oven--life before the buzzing ...
If you can't afford a single family home, here are some other options to consider.
Condominiums and townhouses are, on average, less expensive than single family homes. The average sale price for condos and townhouses in Monterey County in 1997 was $244,500 compared to $354,800 for houses. There are disadvantages ...
Money for Nothing
No Wonder They Have Such Huge Profits The Californian, owned by a publicly traded multi-media giant from Arlington, Virginia (Gannett), just got word this week that they secured a $148,000 state grant for employee training. ...
So look carefully and learn the lingo before you shop for a place to live.
Karen Braverman and her husband Barry had a trying experience shopping for their Scotts Valley home last summer when the California real estate market was swinging strongly back toward a seller''s market after several years ...
Thursday, February 19
Joyful Madness--SF Bach Choir explores the borderland between insanity and ecstasy
Superb execution of several rare masterpieces sharpened the mind and quickened the pulse of a small audience at Carmel Mission last Sunday. The San Francisco Bach Choir''s elite 25-voice Concentus (23 were present) put on ...
Can somebody please explain what this movie is about?
The new sci-fi thriller Sphere comes with quite a pedigree. It is directed by Academy Award-winner Barry Levinson; it is based on a book by mega-author Michael Crichton; it stars Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone and ...
Concerns about sea lion violence prompt dialogue over Marine Protection Act.
Another dead sea lion clutters the peaceful atmosphere of Del Monte beach. This one is marked by the small but distinct puncture wound of a common caliber rifle. According to Florian Graner, a marine biologist ...
Pacific's Edge
There''s a great story that Cal Stamenov tells, one flavored with both humility and humor--good things to have for someone in his profession. It''s also a story that perfectly illustrates the odds against a chef ...
Resume embellishment may be a job-seeker's best friend, not the employer's.
Washington Post journalists have done it. Even a few local city officials have been caught doing it. Exaggeration, embellishment, overstating reality, selective omission, little white lie; call it what you will, but the fact remains ...
By Catherine Coburn
Last year the fish bill ran $32,000 for just six days. The year before, a single pot of soup cost about $2,000. "The main ingredient was truffles," explains Executive Chef Cal Stamenov, kitchen host for ...
Running on Empty--Why folks like me aren't in the gubernatorial race.
You may wonder why I''m not running for governor in 1998. Same reason Leon Panetta and John Vasconcellos aren''t running for governor. Neither they nor I have several hundred million dollars in a personal bank ...
Re-runs Worth Watching--There''s nothing much new this weekend but there''s plenty worth going to see.
Look, I never promised earthshaking news each and every week in this column. Sometimes, you just have to take it as it comes, and this week it comes in repeat performances. Not that there''s anything ...
All Squid, All the Time
Pale Rider With Forked Tongue Squid was wondering whether fellow readers caught the delightful irony in last week''s Monterey County Herald article on construction of Clint Eastwood''s exclusive golf course at Ca¤ada Woods. Clint chose ...
Resumes--Would Honest Abe Approve?
To get the competitive edge, some people might stretch the truth or flat-out lie on resumes. How far should you go in putting your best foot forward? It might work for you, but what about ...
New waste authority sells space at one dump, even as they search for space at another.
On paper, the idea makes sense--more to the point, it is law in the state of California: the amount of garbage going into local landfills must be reduced 50 percent by the year 2005, or ...
Open Mind, New Stuff--Stop. Open your mind. And let the possibilities of new experiences flood your senses.
Let''s take a moment to clear our heads of preconceived notions, shall we? Ready, set, close your eyes and >"Oogachaka, oogachaka, ooga, ooga, oogachaka." Either your head will clear or you''ll be dancing like Ally ...
From The Editorial Desk
Exaggerating a resume is nothing new. But even as the technology for checking the background of applicants improves, the likelihood of getting a straight answer diminishes. The reason? A litigious society has in essence terrorized ...
Letters
Serious Reservations Nancy Hand's article "Fishing for Balance" printed in Coast Weekly (Feb. 12) lists the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman's Associations (PCFFA) as a supporter of AB 1241 bill. Last January, PCFFA advised Assemblyman ...
Palo Colorado residents come together to weather the floods.
"Get your mind off of wintertime, cause you ain''t goin'' nowhere." --Bob Dylan Mud. Thick and rich and dark like chocolate. Mud is the first thing you notice when you walk up and down Palo ...
Thursday, February 12
Just how safe is our fresh produce?
First, there was salmonella. We scrubbed our cutting boards and grew wary of raw chicken. Then there was Mad Cow disease and the E.coli scare, so we started grilling our burgers to a crisp. There''s ...
Sir JAC and Live Essence sweeten things for Valentine's.
The crowd at the Oakland Arena probably thought it had paid only to see the Artist Formerly Known as Prince on Jan. 22 but it did a double take when Monterey look-alike, Sir JAC, walked ...
Ninety-seven percent of food-borne illness is due to contamination after produce leaves the farm.
Seventy percent of food-borne illnesses come from meat or poultry. How reliable are these CDC and USDA figures? Not very, says Monterey Country Health Department epidemiologist Karen Ehnert. It''s very hard to track down the ...
Proposed legislation seeks sustainable fisheries.
Proposed legislation now making its way through the state Senate could create a whole new approach to marine resource management in California. According to the Center for Marine Conservation (CMC), one of AB 1241''s supporters, ...
Love mirrors politics in a movie about a woman's search for love in contemporary Cuba.
If great art is a metaphor for life, then Tomas Gutierrez Alea''s final film, directed and cowritten with Juan Carlos Tabio, remains as a tremendous testament to his visionary artistry. In Guantanamera, romance becomes a ...
Your favorite restaurants offer special meals to celebrate your love. Make sure to call ahead for reservations.
Cafe Berlin Junipero Street between 5th and 6th avenues, Carmel. 624-5748. A special Valentine''s Day prix fixe menu features champagne cocktail, seviche of Bay scallops, cream of asparagus soup, chateaubriand carved tableside, and blackberry lallapalouza ...
From The Editorial Desk
A year after E.coli-tainted Odwalla apple juice was fingered as the probable cause in the death of a 16-month-old child, dirty lettuce from a small farm in Hollister is suspected of making dozens of folks ...
Flooding and Bad Weather--Could Things Have Been Worse?
Is El Ni¤o at it again? A lot of bad things happened to a lot of people all over the country during the flood, including people right here in Monterey County. For example, people''s homes ...
When water rises, so do profits and losses.
Though it is far too early to calculate the total economic impact of the floods of 1998, it is safe to say that both the public and private sectors will see some unusual numbers on ...
By Catherine Coburn
"Along with the sardines, there was abalone, tons of the stuff. And clams, anchovies, sea bass and crabs. And we used to get these little sea snails that you would pick out of their shell ...
Water on the Brain
You Can''t Always Get What You Want Over the past week, Squid''s heard a lot of bitching and moaning about the "traffic Nazis" who control road blocks around the county. "They''re so rude!" went the ...
The Sardine Factory
It's a resume that reads like the Top-40 list on a culinary Hit Parade. Four pages long and single-spaced, Bert Cutino's career spans almost four decades of distinguished service to the hospitality industry, his professional ...
A study of two marriages generates little light and even less heat.
Few filmmakers have traversed such varied cinematic terrain as director Alan Rudolph, who has alternated between mainstream commercial releases like the sci-fi thriller Endangered Species and suspense drama Mortal Thoughts, to such mainstays of independent ...
Stroke 9 on eve of major-label CD.
For red-hot San Francisco rock band Stroke 9, the puzzle pieces of stardom are falling into place, like a meteor shower. Just signed to a recording deal with Cherry/Universal, the quartet looks forward to producing ...
Into the Future--Are local music institutions joining the renaissance of new music sweeping the nation?
This coming Wednesday, violinist Mark Volkert, erstwhile concertmaster of the Carmel Bach Festival, will join Vladimir Spivakov and the San Francisco Symphony strings in a program of Bach, Bartok and Schoenberg. Come again? Two Bach ...
Learning to Love--First, learn to know yourself.
When John Cowper Powys defined truth as a "monstrous container of insoluble contradictions" he could have said the same about love! Because try as we might, men and women have, from the time romantic love ...
Books like these make one wonder if Valentine's Day is worth the fuss.
On Valentine''s Day, I will dine alone. I will feast on a delightful serving of noodle soup from an elegant Styrofoam container. I will then watch a video, preferably a western, definitely something with no ...
How Do You Like It? There's V-Day music for all tastes this weekend.
Do you like it hot or do you like it sweet? Love comes in many flavors and this weekend, with hearts and flowers and candy and whips and chains and peanut butter and whatever you ...
Letters
More on MECHA Interestingly, Squid reported that Assemblyman Peter Frusetta (Squid Fry, Jan. 29) is concerned with new Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa's political views. I did not receive this particular issue of his "Cowboy in ...
Food Safety Tips
1. Always wash fresh fruit and vegetables before eating. That includes packaged salad mixes! Wash in cold running water. Use a little bleach on produce that has been in or on the ground. Wash the ...
A Cannery Row development spurs acrimony in Monterey.
Monterey City Hall was flooded with calls one rainy Wednesday last month complaining that the much endeared Stohan''s building was being torn apart inside without a permit. Tipped-off media flocked to the Cannery Row site ...
Folkish Pop--Concerts at Morgan's and Carleton Hall highlight seriously listenable music (or is that listenably serious music?).
A couple years ago, I got a copy of the 1994 self-titled CD from the band disappear fear. The group, with frontwomen Cindy Frank and sister Sonia Rutstein, propelled thoughtful lyrics (on topics ranging from ...
Thursday, February 5
Letters
Something's Very Wrong At the hearing for the Rancho Chualar II subdivision, Supervisor Tom Perkins ranted about rich Chualar Canyon homeowners and others trying to stop housing for farm workers. He held up a growers' ...
Monterey County is home to numerous mothers (and fathers) of invention.
From the ridiculous to the sublime, it would be hard to imagine a world devoid of such modern marvels of invention as computer and laser technologies, microwave ovens and cellular communication systems, or even velcro ...
Dampened Ardor
Water Into Whine Commuters struggling to navigate around the flood waters that have submerged Carmel Valley Road and Valley Greens Drive near Quail Lodge since Tuesday are wondering whether to blame El Ni¤o or the ...
Lessons learned in '95 help residents, officials.
When the siren at the Carmel Valley Village fire station gave three sharp blasts at 1pm Monday afternoon, residents knew what to do. They tuned in right away to 830AM, a low-power radio station the ...
Democratic Dilemma--A party loyalist tries to make sense of Clinton's crisis.
Normally an informed, decisive, and analytical political activist, the last two weeks have brought me the unusual sensations of confusion and disorientation. As the White House controversy has unfolded at warp speed, my view of ...
Bonanza Week Christine Lavin, Rogers & Buffalo, Mary McCaslin, Barbershop Valentines (and no mention of B of B).
We''re looking at a music weekend that''s so big, there isn''t even room for a mention of the heart-rending, hair-pulling, tooth-gnashing saga that filled the last two weeks'' columns. What with appearances by Christine Lavin, ...
Carmel High Rules--Musical graduates of CHS gather for Cannery Row concerts.
Friday night, clustered around the carousel on Cannery Row in two venues, three rock bands perform their original music. Coincidentally, each band has at least one member who graduated from Carmel High School. Only one, ...
A Mighty Blow--A string vacation allows for music that breathes.
Mighty winds buffeted the Peninsula last weekend. But none caused as many thrills as those which swirled inside the basilica of Carmel Mission on Saturday. There, Ensemble Monterey opened its 1998 season with a rafter-ringing ...
Patently Great
If necessity is indeed the mother of invention, then stubborn persistence must undoubtedly be the father. For any aspiring inventor, the jumping off point begins with the US Patent Office's (USPTO) website at www.uspto.gov/. There ...
A Trifling Truffle
For centuries, it's been a task relegated to the olfactory prowess of pigs, dogs and elderly virgins. There's at least one account on record of a village in France whose annual supply of truffles solely ...
Who's to blame when there's no one to blame for a senseless accident?
Here''s a name with which you probably aren''t familiar: Atom Egoyan. This Canadian independent filmmaker toils in the same fields of relative obscurity as Mike Leigh and Alan Rudolph, making idiosyncratic films seen by only ...
From The Editorial Desk
Although the day may come when Theodore Kaczynski is hailed as a prophet and his Unabomber Manifesto as the Bible of the new millennium, it would be hard for most of us to imagine going ...
Inventions--Calling The Next Einstein
With the 20th century drawing rapidly to a close, you might think we have reached our inventive capacity and created everything. Yet still, millions of products are invented every year, feeding a consumer smorgasbord. But ...
Grasing's
Kurt Grasing stands in the center of one of the newly refurbished dining rooms of Grasing's, taking measure of the fresh new design. The stout raspberry-colored overhead beams are a colorful counterpoint to the lively ...
Art project captures Pacific Grove's history.
"Public art is important," says Irene Masteller, project coordinator of a mural series now underway along the Recreation Trail on Ocean View Boulevard between 11th and 13th streets in Pacific Grove. "Art should be everywhere, ...
