Words of wisdom and tales of the trade from the guys who keep  the Bars in Santa Cruz safe
Wherever there’s a crowd of people drinking, there’s bound to be a jackass or two. Much as we might wish we could just hit the “Eject” button and send the rabble-rousers flying, it takes a living, breathing human to get rid of that unwanted guest who’s had one too many. Which, of course, is where bouncers come in. The doorman is a figure who appears throughout history and throughout nature: The Old Testament makes mention of “gatekeepers” whose duty was to keep things copasetic at the Levitical Temple, and even certain species of ants have their own peacekeepers whose duty is to chuck out unwelcome parties. Clearly, this is an essential service, but few people have the stones for it, let alone the physical power.

People who are passionate about what they do are truly magnetic. Seemingly lit from within, they emanate an intrinsic confidence and undaunted fortitude that draws others directly into their orbits. Like the sun at the center of its own universe, John Amaral, D.C. (Doctor of Chiropractic) is one of those people.

“I believe that more people need to experience what it feels like when they’re not trying to be someone else or be somewhere else, to just experience who they are, why they’re here and what they’re made of without self-judgment or striving,” Amaral says of his dedication to helping others attain a higher quality of living.

The art of sharing power and responsibility to create community
Downtown Santa Cruz, a high school student takes clothes from a store without paying and is caught in the act. Instead of going to jail, she agrees to meet with a store manager to discuss the act and mutually agree on what to do next. 

An elementary school garden is destroyed by teenagers. During a restorative dialogue, the teenagers sob with sadness, realizing the affect they’ve had on the younger kids who put so much energy into growing their garden.

Groundbreaking local business Virtual Venues Network gives live music fans the next best thing to being there
In the late ’90s, local music promoter Michael Horne went to a Rolling Stones concert that changed his life. It wasn’t the music that made such a big impression—it was the fact that rather than watching the band, Horne found himself focused on a giant screen that was showing the concert to audience members too far back to get a good view of the performers. “We were way, way back in the nosebleed seats, and it started to rain,” he recalls. “I remember looking at my girlfriend: ‘You realize we paid 130 bucks to watch a screen’—because Mick’s an inch tall—‘in the rain? And everyone’s happy! We’re stoked to pay $130, 20 bucks to park, $8 for a bottle of water, sit in the nosebleed seats, watch the screen and call that rock & roll!’”

Santa Cruz homeboy Wallace Baine leads the pack of inventive pageturners this summer
Full reviews of:
The New Good Life by John Robbins
Standing Up to the Madness by Amy Goodman and David Goodman
Imperfect Birds by Anne Lamott
Ravishing of Lol Stein by Margarette Duras
THE HOT LIST FROM LOCAL BOOKSELLERS