C-2012-12-13 by News & Review

Where’s the

Food Movement SOUR NOTE headed? BAND ROOM See MUSIC FEATURE, page 26

Proposition 37 failed, but the anti-GMO effort isn’t stopping

See NEWSLINES, page 8

SERIOUS THEATER See SCENE, page 40

QUEEN OF THE THRIFTERS See GREENWAYS, page 15

SPECIAL REPORT Chico’s News & Entertainment Weekly

Volume 36, Issue 16

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2 CN&R December 13, 2012

CN&R

Vol. 36, Issue 16 • December 13, 2012

OPINION Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Guest Comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 From This Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Streetalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

100 Broadway~1861

NEWSLINES Downstroke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Sifter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

HEALTHLINES The Pulse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Appointments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Weekly Dose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

COVER STORY

ARTS & CULTURE

GREENWAYS EarthWatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Eco Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 UnCommon Sense. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 The GreenHouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Music Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 This Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Fine Arts listings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Reel World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 In The Mix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Chow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Nightlife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Arts DEVO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

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ON THE COVER: PHOTO OF FISHY CORN CAR COURTESY OF THE RIGHT2KNOW MARCH PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY TINA FLYNN

Our Mission To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages employees to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare. To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live. Editor Robert Speer Managing Editor Melissa Daugherty Arts Editor Jason Cassidy Calendar/Special Projects Editor Howard Hardee News Editor Tom Gascoyne Greenways/Healthlines Editor Christine G.K. LaPado-Breglia Staff Writer Ken Smith Contributors Catherine Beeghly, Craig Blamer, Alastair Bland, Henri Bourride, Rachel Bush, Vic Cantu, Matthew Craggs, Kyle Delmar, Meredith J. Graham, JoVan Johnson, Miles Jordan, Leslie Layton, Mark Lore, MaryRose Lovgren, Mazi Noble, Jaime O’Neill, Anthony Peyton Porter, Shannon Rooney, Claire Hutkins Seda, Juan-Carlos Selznick, Willow Sharkey, Alan Sheckter, Evan Tuchinsky Interns Kyle Emery, Stephanie Geske, Melanie MacTavish, Kjerstin Wood Managing Art Director Tina Flynn Editorial Designer Sandra Peters Design Manager Kate Murphy Design Melissa Arendt, Priscilla Garcia, Mary Key, Marianne Mancina, Skyler Smith Advertising Services Manager Jennifer Osa Advertising Consultants Brian Corbit, Jamie DeGarmo, Laura Golino, Robert Rhody Senior Classified Advertising Consultant Olla Ubay

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Our dysfunctional Senate For an example of just how off the wall today’s Republican

No on 37’s fraudulent campaign Wtion 37 (labeling genetically engineered foods), you may be missing the bigger picture: California voters are vic-

hether you agreed or disagreed with Proposi-

tims of fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud. The No on Prop. 37 coalition (majority funded by Monsanto, DuPont, Bayer CropScience, Syngenta, etc.), aka NoProp37.com, has blatantly included misleading, untrue and fraudulent information concerning Proposition 37 in the official Voter Information Guide that was sent to approximately 11 million registered voters. Fraud was also committed in mailed advertising and television advertising. by These frauds were perpetrated by knowDon Taylor ingly using false and misrepresented The author is a claims, to wit: self-employed 1. That the U.S. Food and Drug software programmer and part-time Administration says such a labeling policy would “be inherently misleading” (page blogger with, he says, “a passion 57 of the official Voter Information for sustainable Guide). In fact, “The FDA has not made practices, products such statements with respect to Prop. and philosophies.” 37,” writes FDA spokeswoman Morgan He lives in Chico. Liscinsky in an email. “We cannot speculate on Prop. 37 and have no comments at this time.” 2. Identifying Dr. Henry I. Miller as founding director, Office of Biotechnology of the Food & Drug Administration, and as a professor at Stanford University. Dr. 4 CN&R December 13, 2012

Miller in fact does not work for the FDA in any capacity, nor is he a professor at Stanford University. 3. Including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in a group of four organizations stating that biotech foods are safe. Registered dietitian Ethan A. Bergman, president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, said, “We are concerned that California’s voters are being misled to believe the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals is against Proposition 37, when, in fact, the Academy does not have a position on the issue.” Unfortunately the damage was done, as millions of California voters were exposed to these lies, making it easy to assume that the FDA and those accredited institutions were opposed to Prop. 37, which I believe unfairly influenced the vote. It’s irrelevant whether Prop. 37 won or lost. The real issue is whether several state and federal laws have been broken. The No on Prop 37 coalition should be prosecuted and, if found guilty, fined. If state and federal lawmakers do not take the initiative, then it will be up to the people of California to start a class-action lawsuit and prosecute these fraudsters. If they’re allowed to go unpunished, not only Californians, but all citizens of the United States, would have to worry about their civil and criminal rights. Ω

Party has become, consider what happened last week in the U.S.Senate, which once upon a time could call itself “the world’s greatest deliberative body.” The senators were considering whether to ratify a United Nations treaty on rights for people with disabilities. The treaty is an outgrowth of the historic Americans with Disabilities Act, which Republican President George H. W. Bush signed into law in 1990. What it would do is encourage other countries to bring their treatment of the disabled up to the gold standard created by the United States, making life easier for disabled Americans traveling in foreign lands as well as those residing there. Approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in July with bipartisan support, the treaty, as committee Chairman John Kerry explained, simply “says that you can’t discriminate against the disabled. It says that other countries have to do what we did 22 years ago when we set the example for the world and passed the Americans with Disabilities Act.” To quell concerns that the treaty somehow cedes authority to the U.N., a common paranoia of the far right, the committee passed a resolution that the United States would surrender none of its sovereign authority by joining the convention, and that the treaty would have no power over federal, state or local law. That wasn’t good enough for the far-right extremists in the Senate, however. They were convinced the treaty would infringe on U.S. sovereignty or allow the government to dictate how parents must raise their disabled children. Even the presence on the Senate floor of 89-year-old former Sen. Bob Dole, who was rolled out in a wheelchair to join fellow Republicans John McCain and Richard Lugar in supporting the treaty, failed to quell the fevered opposition. The treaty, which required two-thirds approval, fell short by five votes. Only eight Republicans voted yea. Afterward Kerry issued a statement, saying it was “one of the saddest days I’ve seen in almost 28 years in the Senate, and it needs to be a wakeup call about a broken institution that’s letting down the American people.” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has promised another vote on the treaty in the next Congress. Let’s hope reason and compassion prevail. Ω

Five reasons to ‘shop local’ Don’t fall into the big-box trap this holiday season. Commit to

spending at least half your gift and celebration money right here in Chico. Here are some motivating reasons: 1. Dollars spent with Chico-area businesses stay in our community at a much higher percentage than if you spend them at a big-box chain store. Local businesses produce more income, jobs and tax revenues for our community. 2. Shopping locally sourced gifts is good for the environment, since it reduces the need to ship products from thousands of miles away, which translates into less greenhouse-gas pollution emitted into the atmosphere. 3. According to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, local businesses ensure innovation, and that’s the best way to ensure low prices over the long term. 4. Compared to chain stores, regional businesses will recycle a much larger portion of their revenue back into the local economy. As a bonus, they link neighbors in a vibrant web of economic and social relationships. 5. Local businesses support other local businesses. This newspaper, for example, is offered free to readers because our advertisers, almost all of them local businesses, support it as a publication and trust it to reach their customers. If you appreciate what we do each week and think the price is right, you can return the favor by patronizing our advertisers and telling them you saw their ad in the CN&R. Happy shopping! Ω

FROM THIS CORNER by Robert Speer roberts@newsreview.com

Ten years after Ten years ago today (Thursday, Dec. 13), John Mealley and Jorge Salas shared a frightening experience that changed their lives forever. That morning—it was Friday the 13th—a 14-year-old girl brought a loaded pistol to Chico Junior High School, where Mealley was principal and Salas a counselor. During teacher Rachel LeDuc’s first-period English class, she brandished it in a threatening way. Two students edged out the door and ran screaming down the hallway. “Somebody has a gun in Mrs. LeDuc’s class,” one of them yelled. Salas ran to the classroom. When he entered, the girl trained the gun on him. He raised his hands, palms forward in a gesture of non-aggression, saying, “I’m here to help. We’re here to help.” Staring into the pistol, he could see a chambered bullet. He thought of his two young children at home. By this time the girl had let all the students go except one, a boy. It turned out she’d had an unrequited crush on him, but that was just one of the many factors, including being bullied by classmates, that had led to this moment. She was crying and threatening to shoot herself. Sometimes, with shaking hands, she would put the gun to her head, sometimes in her mouth. And sometimes she would point it at Salas and the others in the room. Meanwhile, Mealley went on the school’s publicaddress system and announced a code red lockdown, ordering all to stay in their classrooms. Then he gathered his nerve and entered LeDuc’s classroom. The girl pointed the gun at him, but only for a while. She knew him well: He’d been her principal for five years, first at Rosedale and then Chico Junior. Like Salas, he tried to calm her by reassuring her that everything would be OK. He wasn’t sure about that, however. He thought of trying to overpower her, but the boy was in the way. That’s when the boy turned to her and, softly calling her name, said, “If you do this, I’m really going to miss you.” The girl, who was sitting on the floor, her back against a wall, stood up, walked over to him and put the gun in his hands. The stand-off was over. LeDuc took a year off after the incident, but she has since died of brain cancer. Mealley and Salas have stayed in touch, even after Mealley retired five years ago. They get together every Friday the 13th and every December 13th. They are the only people who know what they went through on Dec. 13, 2002. This year they’re trying to locate the girl. The last they heard she was living in a group home, but that was years ago. They want to reconcile with her, tell her they forgive her. I can’t publish her name because she was a child when the incident occurred, but hundreds of her fellow students know who she is. Some may know where she now lives. They can reach Mealley at jkmealley@gmail.com and Salas at jsalas@chicousd.org.

Robert Speer is editor of the CN&R.

Send email to chicoletters @ newsreview.com

Buying a car, revisited Re “Confessions of an ex-car salesman” (Cover story, by Walter Irish, Dec. 6): I have worked at Courtesy Motors for the past 11 years selling BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo, and frankly I am offended by portions of this article. I can say with great certainty that the staff I work with is extremely ethical. Yes, we try our best to make the most out of every transaction, but we start with so little margin of profit that we would be silly not to. I find it often surprising that there is such a focus on grinding out an extra 1 percent or 2 percent off on a car when people pay 200 percent or 300 percent mark-ups at their local grocery stores and don’t seem to have a problem with that. Mr. Irish states that a salesman tries to get you excited about the car you’re about to buy. Well, it would be a shame not to be excited, since they are a lot of money. Also, his conclusion that a lease money factor raised four-tenths would increase your payment $60-plus is incorrect, unless you lease a $100,000 car. I understand why Mr. Irish is disgruntled: I sold cars alongside him for the couple months he spent with us. I don’t think I need to expand on that. For my part, I will keep building relationships with the clients who have come to me repeatedly for the better part of a decade with whom trust and often friendship have been established.

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All of my car-buying purchases were disasters filled with pain and sorrow until I found out about the website www.carbuy ingtips.com, which has a 75-page document and an Excel spreadsheet (all free) that you can use as your guide to buying a car. I did read the book three times, but it was fun and worth it. I purchased two new cars from dealerships following the directions and processes in these documents. I saved thousands, not hundreds, of dollars and had fun. The first time I used the method, I was in and out of the dealership (including test drive) in 60 minutes! The second car, 90 minutes. GEORGE GOLD Chico

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The Chico Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has voted unanimously to support fellow director President Paul Zingg’s decision to suspend social Greek organizations on campus. Fraternities and sororities were warned by the university that serious incidents, including assaults, abusive hazing and out-of-control parties, would not be tolerated. The recent death of student and fraternity pledge Mason Sumnicht after a night drinking on his 21st birthday with his fraternity brothers was the ultimate reason to take this action. The Greek chapters will be given an opportunity for reinstatement by meeting a revised set of strict guidelines that will be presented by the university. President Zingg has made it clear that the campus intends to take additional measures to ensure student safety. Binge drinking threatens and destroys many students’ lives. Analysis indicates that binge drinking at Chico State exceeds national averages, and our community must resolve this crisis together. The Chamber of Commerce board consists of a diverse group of business owners, CEOs and community leaders who are dedicated to serving the interests of Chico and this university. Many of us have strong bonds with CSUC. The Chamber Board stands resolutely with President Zingg and his courageous efforts. ROGER HART Chairman of the Board Chico Chamber of Commerce

Anti-theft devices Re “To catch a thief” (Cover story, by Carson Medley, Nov. 29): This story reminded me of when I received my first smart phone, a Samsung Galaxy S, in the spring of 2011. Sure, I knew by having the word “smart” in the name this phone’s capabilities were far beyond those of any other phone I have ever had, but little did I know what that meant. Thanks to GPS tracking, apps like “Where’s My Android” have made me fearless when thinking about my phone getting stolen. If ever lost, “Where’s My Android” will send the phone’s GPS coordinates. I am almost tempted by the idea of someone stealing my phone, which like Medley’s has two years’ worth of my life on it; I know I could confidently say, “Go ahead, take my phone. I’ll track you down and make your life a living hell.” All in all, I agree with Medley

“We are now on the dawn of a new political era. Asian, Latino, African American and other American minorities are not asking to be treated special, just equal.”

—Bill Wong Foey

when he says, “This was not about race but about crime.” Life is a sum of all your choices. Stealing is a greed issue, and now we have the technology to be fearless against thieves. RACHEL RAMIREZ Chico

Will we learn our lesson? The election’s over. No more robocalls. No more ads. Are you happy with the outcome? Depressed? I was disappointed in my fellow Americans, but on reflection I can honestly say that some of our most basic human lessons, learned from babyhood, are what we learn by experience. “Don’t touch that stove—it will burn you!” Now, it seems, half the country’s voters must learn through painful experiences for the next four years. Get ready for higher fuel costs, food costs, unemployment and government gridlock. This administration has failed on so many levels, and yet you followers have said: “Give him four more years to fix this.” I hope he succeeds and tries to bring the country together. I also hope he stops blaming Bush and Republicans for all our problems. At some point the problems have to sit squarely on the shoulders of those put there by us to “fix” things. Look at the problems we have in California, and we just keep electing Democratic majorities! There’s even a fool-proof majority of Democrats now, who can raise more taxes without one Republican! The rest of us can only keep our heads down and pray that there is something left of our great country to salvage in four years. LORETTA ANN TORRES Princeton

What the GOP should know No doubt many Republicans are shaking their heads as to why they again lost the presidential election. Speaking as a Chinese American, it appears to be that one big reason is quite obvious. Consciously or unconsciously, the Republican Party covets the white voter. Being 62, I am old enough to remember discrimination and racism. But we are now on the

dawn of a new political era. Asian, Latino, African American and other American minorities are not asking to be treated special, just equal. The Republican Party may not discriminate against minorities per se, but rather tend to ignore us. They seem to forget we minorities have a voice, as well as a vote. BILL WONG FOEY Red Bluff

Over the financial cliff For all the naïve, those suffering from intentional blindness, or those who simply don’t give a rip: Did it really matter who became our next president? Neither spoke the truth about the national debt, nor did they have any real solutions. We have been over the financial cliff and in free fall for a long time. Our government needs $10.4 billion per day to survive. Our government can steal and tax all the private and corporate wealth in America, but this will pay the “interest only” on our debt for one year, and nothing on the “principal.” AUGIE VELASQUEZ Durham

LaMalfa’s choice During the recent congressional primary race, U.S. Rep.-elect Doug LaMalfa joined other candidates attending a political forum in declaring he would vote against increasing the nation’s debt ceiling. It’s likely he’ll get a chance real soon to put his words into action. Dare I say: Will LaMalfa keep his promise or succumb to the pressures of party politics? PETE STIGLICH Cottonwood

Correction Due to an editing error, our Greenways article last week, “Counting birds, rain or shine,” incorrectly stated that Mary Muchowski worked at the Butte Environmental Council. She works for the U.S. Forest Service. The error has been corrected online.—ed. More letters online:

We’ve got too many letters for this space. Please go to www.newsreview.com/chico for additional readers’ comments on past CN&R articles.

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CN&R 7

Guitar Center is opening its doors on MLK Jr. Parkway in early January.

YOU CAN SERVE THE CITY

Time’s running out for those who want to serve the city of Chico on a board or commission, and so far it appears there aren’t many who do. The deadline for submitting an application has been extended to 5 p.m., Friday, Dec. 21, nearly three weeks beyond the initial deadline. The City Clerk’s Office said the number of applications received this time around has been unusually low. Seats are open on the Planning, Airport, Arts and Bidwell Park and Playground commissions as well as the Architectural Review and Historic Preservation Board. All terms are for four years beginning in January, with the exception of two seats on the Airport Commission that run two years. Citizens may apply for more than one seat, but must be residents and qualified voters, which means 18 or older. The city’s press release says women, minorities and those with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Go to www.ci.chico.ca.us or to the City Clerk’s Office for applications.

MORE ON THE MAGICIAN

The TV host who set a Chico magician’s head ablaze in the Dominican Republic late last month turned himself in to police on Monday (Dec. 10), The Associated Press reports. Franklin Barazarte, who spoke with the CN&R last week (Newslines, “Man on fire,” Dec. 6), said he never intended to set Wayne Houchin on fire. But that’s exactly what happened after Barazarte released flaming cologne known as Agua de Florida atop the 30-year-old performer’s head following an interview on a show called Get Closer to the Cosmos on Nov. 26. Houchin has since returned to Chico. The Chico Enterprise-Record spoke with the magician, who detailed the incident as well as the treatment he’s received for firstand second-degree burns to parts of his face, neck, head and hand.

LAND-TRUST LEADER LEAVING

Jamison Watts recently announced that he is stepping down as the executive director of the Northern California Regional Land Trust (NCRLT), a position he has held for the past six years. During Watts’ tenure, the NCRLT’s budget “grew by nearly 600 percent, and its acres protected more than tripled from approximately 4,800 to over 15,100” through the creation of conservation easements on agricultural property, according to a recent NCRLT press release. Watts also helped co-found the Buy Fresh Buy Local North Valley program. He will begin his new job as executive director of the Marin Agricultural Land Trust in January. “I have had the privilege of being a part of this exceptional organization for more than six years,” said Watts (pictured). “It has been especially rewarding to work with the ranching and farming families who have been taking care of the land for generations and who have helped me make this region such a unique and extraordinary place.” 8 CN&R December 13, 2012

Below: Rich Piers, owner of Herreid Music in Chico and Redding, at his downtown Chico music store.

Sound jam Chico’s mom-andpop music shops brace for the arrival of the world’s largest music store

Elifts labored through rain in south Chico to install the sign announcing Guitar Center’s arlier this month, as workers on

imminent arrival, Sally MacMillan apologized for the extra boxes of merchandise crowding her office at the story and photos back of Music Connection on by East Avenue in the north part of Ken Smith town. kens@ “We just had some flooding newsreview.com and had to move some stuff out of the way,” she explained. While destructive acts of nature can spell trouble for any smallbusiness owner, the office has doubled as a war room in recent months as she and her staff prepare for what she sees as a much bigger threat—the Jan. 17 opening of the music mega-store on Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, across from Costco. Guitar Center, and its Internet subsidiary Musician’s Friend, is the world’s largest retailer of musical instruments and equipment, with more than 300 stores across 43 states. The company was founded in 1959 and bought by Bain Capital—yes, Mitt Romney’s former firm—for $1.9 billion plus assumed debt in 2007. “We’re really worried about it,” MacMillan said. “I’m past the point of being scared, and now we’re in action mode. We’re trying to use it as an opportunity to up our game, tighten up anything we can and not take anything for granted.” MacMillan bought Music Apply: Connection—formerly called Go to the Music Teacher—in June www.guitarcenter 2003 and opened a Redding careers.com for info about job store last summer. Before ownopportunities with ing the business she worked at Guitar Center. the Music Teacher beginning at

age 18—her first job. She said the biggest problem is Guitar Center’s sheer buying power, which allows it to offer far lower prices than local stores. “We want to match prices, we really do,” she said, “but we also have to pay the bills. I’m afraid that Chico isn’t big enough to support it. There’ve been rumors of them coming for years, but I thought Chico would grow more before it happened. No matter how good we do, even if we match prices, they still have a better location and more ability to advertise. I just have to wonder if this town can support three stores.” Though there are smaller music

stores in Chico, the three MacMillan referred to are Music Connection, Guitar Center and Herreid Music. She explained that Music Connection and Herreid have a good working relationship, regularly referring customers to one another when one store lacks products or services. “Even before Guitar Center’s com-

ing, I’ve always seen us and Herreid as rowing the same boat,” she said. “I think our biggest mutual competition has been the Internet.” Rich Piers, who has owned Herreid in Redding since 1992 and opened the Chico store in 1997, agrees the locals will take a hit from Guitar Center. “Oh yeah, it’ll hurt our business at first,” he said. “I think it will put a strain on all the music stores in town, but I think overall, from what I’ve seen with other places in the Unites States where this has happened, we’ll be just fine. “I think our knowledge base is better. I’ve been in the business for more than 30 years, and there are guys who have been here a long time. We know musical equipment very well, and think we can relate to customers one-on-one much better.” MacMillan said she is not looking for patronage built on pity or obligation. “I want [customers] to shop here because we have fair prices for the right product,” she said. “We stand behind what we sell, and we’re here for them.”

Candidate Romney liked to say

Bain Capital was a “job creator,” and some are saying that about Guitar Center. The store’s opening has already put people to work, said James Lane, of Commercial National Builders, the Temecula-based contractor overseeing construction of the store’s interior. Lane, the project’s general superintendent, said 17 subcontractors from all over California—including some local companies— have been working since mid-October, with 10 to 20 workers on the project every day. It’s not clear how many people will be employed at Chico’s Guitar Center once it opens, but the number certainly will be considerable. Calls to the company’s corporate headquarters in Westlake Village were directed to an outside marketing company called KSL Media, which didn’t furnish the information as of press time. Chad Cox, a former Emeryville Guitar Center employee who will manage the Chico store, said via email that he can’t talk to reporters until it is cleared through the company’s publicrelations department. Lane said Guitar Center officials would be coming to the Chico store around the first of January. Job seekers are directed via Internet listings and a sign posted outside the store to apply online. According to a former employee who worked in store operations for 11 years, working at Guitar Center isn’t all it’s cracked up to be: “A lot of people think it’s a cool job where you just sit around and play guitar all day, but it’s nothing like that.” The former employee, who asked not to be identified to protect friendships with longtime coworkers, said it was a good job until the Bain buyout. “They think they can train anybody, so the workforce is considered a disposable commodity,” he said. Salespeople have been the hardest hit, and are now responsible for setting up displays and other tasks that cut into their selling time, he said. Also, Guitar Center, once known as a place to wheel and deal, has changed the rules significantly. “Salesmen used to be able to cut a bit off the top depending on how much you were buying,” he said. “When Bain came they stopped being able to do that. “They presented it as we had to retrain our customers, that the customers were conditioned to believe they could go in and pay less than the listed price. A lot of people said, ‘I haven’t paid what the tag says at this place in 15 years, why would I now?’ ” Salespeople earn commission, the source said, but rarely make much more than minimum wage. Many of the source’s criticisms are echoed by customers and employees at guitarcentersucks.com. Ω

As the Crow flies

Activist Scott Crow says there are times when vandalism is justifiable. PHOTO BY VIC CANTU

Anarchist spreads his message to Chico am a revolutionary.” “I Thus began Scott Crow’s rousing speech about making the world a better place. Speak-

ing in Ayres 106 on the Chico State campus on Dec. 6, Crow, an Austin, Texas-based activist and author and self-described anarchist, advocated fighting for what is morally correct, even breaking the law if need be. And Crow should know—10 of his friends, including his father and uncle, have been jailed for protesting, mostly for vandalism. Crow spoke of his belief in helping the world whenever and wherever it is most needed, using what he called an “emergency heart,” which is the natural compassionate urge to help others who are in dire straits. “I always wanted to do what was right,” he said. “I’ve slain giants, but at other times I’ve been a jackass.” Such efforts, he said, do carry a risk. Crow directed his listeners to use selfdetermination to improve the world. “Don’t wait for the government or others to act,” he said. His proudest achievement, he said, was traveling to New Orleans in 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. There, he helped as many people as possible by creating several Common Ground Collective relief clinics for medical, legal and social aid. More than one of these clinics violated local codes and regulations to get up and running, and Crow said he was proud to do so in fighting to help Katrina’s desperate victims. Crow described himself as an anarchist at heart, but spoke of his dislike for many of the

so-called anarchists popularized in the news, like the ’80s punks whom he described as “self-absorbed egotists.” He values anarchism as a path to liberation and direct action in creating good for society. His beliefs are detailed in his book Black Flags and Windmills: Hope, Anarchy and the Common Ground Collective. “Scott was great,” said Sue Hilderbrand, a Butte College instructor and former director of the Chico Peace & Justice Center at the conclusion of the talk. Hilderbrand had introduced Crow, whose visit was her idea and sponsored by the local chapter of the ACLU, of which she is a board member. “He is a good friend of mine I met in New Orleans during the founding of the Common Ground relief effort,” she explained. “I also agree with the value Scott places in focused vandalism.” Crow lauded the anarchist vandals at the 1999 Seattle World Trade Organization protests. Tens of thousands at the “Battle of Seattle” displayed dissatisfaction with the

SIFT|ER Butte College breakdown Every year Butte-Glenn Community College officials prepare a demographic snapshot of their students. Here are some of the elements in a breakdown of a representative profile of 100 students in the fall of 2011. • By age and gender: 5 are 17 and under; 58 are 18-24; 32 are 25-49; 5 are over 50; 53 are female; 47 are male. • By ethnicity: 64 are white; 16 are Hispanic; 6 are Asian; 3 are African American; 3 are American Indian; 8 classify themselves as “other.” • By educational goals: 37 plan to transfer to a four-year university; 10 are interested in career advancement; 2 are interested in upgrading their learning skills; 30 are undecided about their educational goals.

• By courses: 64 take transfer/generaleducation classes; 30 take career/technical classes; 6 take basic-skills classes. • By level of preparation: 29 enter with a skill deficiency in basic writing; 20 enter with a skill deficiency in basic reading; 29 enter with a deficiency in basic arithmetic; 53 are unprepared for college-level English; 65 are unprepared for college-level math.

Source: Butte College 2011-2012 Demographic Snapshot

world’s financial rulers by marching, chanting and vandalizing local businesses. Crow explained how vandalism can be useful in certain situations. “Nobody cared about those protests until an anarchist put a rock through the window of a Starbucks,” Crow said. “[Seattle] was like a coming-out party for anarchy in the U.S.” Countering the notion that vandalism is always wrong, he offered the analogy of a black slave breaking his chains to gain freedom. Crow got his feet wet in the field of advocacy back in 1985 by protesting apartheid in South Africa. He explained that, prior to becoming an activist, he voted on many issues he was passionate about, but he never saw the world he envisioned come about. He said he flirted with socialism and communism until he traveled to East Germany and saw the nightmarish reality of what was practiced there. “It was misery,” he said. “People hated it.” One of his biggest inspirations, he

said, was the Black Panther Party. “Their nonviolent drive to help the downtrodden by providing free food, education and legal assistance was a huge inspiration to me,” Crow said. He also recounted being inspired by the Zapatista Finding Crow: rebels in Chiapas, Mexico, Go to www.face who he said rose up against book.com/words first to connect what they believed was an with Scott Crow extremely oppressive govon Facebook and ernment and collectively www.twitter.com cried, “¡Ya basta!” which is /scott_crow to Spanish for “That’s follow him on Twitter. Check enough!” out www.scott Crow has come to the crow.org for bio attention of the authorities and other info. on more than one occasion as a suspected domestic terrorist. He said that for years he was on the government’s no-fly list and that his phone and Internet activities were tapped. “If I could tell the FBI one thing about me, it would be, ‘Google my name,’” Crow said to laughter from the approximately 100 in attendance. “They saw I was a paper tiger—a puppet with no substance.” These days, Crow said, he is not out to convert anyone. “You all have to find the strongest causes in your own Chico community,” he said. As a possible solution to a question from an audience member about Chico’s homelessness problem, he suggested taking over and occupying foreclosed homes. Crow remains optimistic. He said his speaking engagements are a way to let others know his cause. “Telling people why we do this creates power,” he said. —VIC CANTU

NEWSLINES continued on page 10 December 13, 2012

CN&R 9

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Spate of stabbings Councilman watches as police draw weapons Chico City Councilman Randall IonfStone was looking for excitement the night he chose to do a ride-

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Stone said he remained in the patrol car for about an hour and a half before another officer came by and moved him to a second patrol car. “The [first] car I was in was right in front of the house,” Stone said, “and I was the only one that close not wearing a bulletproof vest.” Officers eventually forced the front door open, but the house was empty. The suspect, Lehmann, reportedly lives in the house and is on probation. Court records show Lehmann’s been in county court on a number of charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a destructive device, making criminal threats and obstructing a police officer. The case has been turned over to the Chico Police Department’s detective unit.

along with a Chico police officer, he certainly got it. The ride-along took place on one of the nights during the first week in December that saw a rash of stabbings in Chico, beginning with the Dec. 4 assault of a 26year-old man on West Sacramento Avenue near Chico High School and ending with the stabbing of two people at a residence on East Lassen Avenue on Dec. 7. The latter incident happened on the night the newly elected Stone was on a ride-along with Chico police officer Peter Durfree, one of 17 officers who eventually responded to the call. The suspect, 43-year-old Jonathan Lehmann, was thought to be in the house when officers arrived. “It was very intense,” Stone Two other stabbings occurred recalled. “We pulled right up on that same day. the scene, and I wasn’t quite sure At about 2 a.m. a man reported what was going on.” he’d been smoking a cigarette outHe said he watched as paraside an apartment on the 600 block medics and officer Durfee pulled a of Rancheria Drive when an SUV man out of a truck parked in front pulled up and four men jumped out of the residence. “This guy was not responsive at of the vehicle and attacked him, inflicting two stab wounds to his all,” Stone said. “They were performing CPR on him, and the word upper torso. The four suspects then jumped back into the vehicle and was he was going to have a tough left. The victim was treated and time making it.” released at Enloe. He said the second victim was At around 5:30 that afternoon a up and talking with police. man was reportedly stabbed from “Then I noticed a change in the behind while walking near his officers’ behavior,” Stone said. N E hiding W S & R E V I E W apartment B U S I N E S on S UHumboldt S E O N L YRoad. “They were suddenly DESIGNER ISSUE DATE ACCT. EXEC.to Enloe, Police were dispatched behind a white van parked in front SS were 12.02.10 JLD 25-year-old where they contacted of the house, and their guns FILE NAME REV. DATE Joshua Pennock, who also said his drawn.” COTTONPARTY120210R3

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attacker took nothing from him. He was treated and released and then arrested because he was wanted on a parole violation by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. In the Dec. 4 case, the victim said he was attacked from behind by two men while walking near the high school. He received a single stab wound to his back, and said he didn’t know his attackers or why they attacked him. They ran away without taking any of the victim’s property. He was treated at Enloe Medical Center and released. The spate of stabbings

continued this week. On Tuesday (Dec. 11), a 30-year-old man walking along the 1500 block of East Avenue at about 9:45 p.m. was approached by the driver of a car who demanded the man’s wallet and cell phone. The suspect reportedly then brandished a knife and swung at the victim, cutting the palm of his hand. The suspect kicked the man and then took off with the wallet and cell phone. The victim was taken to Enloe for treatment. About two and a half hours later police received the report of a stabbing off Vallombrosa Avenue behind the Christian & Johnson building near Lost Park. Officers located a small homeless camp and a 33-year-old transient suffering from stab wounds to his abdomen and leg. He was taken to Enloe for emergency surgery. Officers contacted a second person at the camp, 33-year-old Thomas Lake, who said the victim had tried to stab him during a fight. He said he took the knife away and stabbed his attacker. Lake was arrested and booked into the Butte County Jail. —TOM GASCOYNE tomg@newsreview.com

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10 CN&R December 13, 2012

Local atheists pose under a billboard that went up on Cohasset Road last week. PHOTO COURTESY OF BUTTE COUNTY COALITION OF REASON

Inset: George Gold, president of Atheists of Butte County. PHOTO BY HOWARD HARDEE

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Godless campaign launched Billboards bring message of hope to local atheists eorge Gold began feeling queasy during G the introduction to a recent community function in Chico. At first, he couldn’t pin-

point why. “[The speaker] spent the first 10 or 15 minutes talking about Jesus,” said Gold, a longtime Magalia resident. “The woman sitting next to me asked me if I was all right, and I said, ‘Gee, I don’t know. Maybe I’m allergic to religion.’ She burst out laughing, but I realized I really am—if you talk too much religion to me, I’ll start feeling ill.” Gold is president of Atheists of Butte County and organizer for the newly formed Butte County Coalition of Reason, a local arm of the national organization that paid for a dozen “godless” billboards that have popped up around the Chico area. The billboards went up Dec. 5, will remain through the New Year, and serve as the official kick-off for the coalition’s local branch, which is a union of three pre-existing community organizations—Atheists of Butte County, Chico Skeptics and the Secular Student Alliance at Chico State. So far, public response to the billboards has been overwhelmingly positive, Gold said. And, although he doesn’t anticipate having to do so, he knows what he would say to someone who disagreed with the coalition. “I’d say we live in America, where the president takes his oath of office with his hand on the Bible—which is another discussion—and swears to uphold the Constitution,” he said. “He does not put his hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible.”

Although Gold was reared in a Jewish

family (and, in fact, “loves” being Jewish), he maintains he’s been an atheist all his life, relying on “reason and logic” to set his life course. He recalled when his family lived in the Bay Area, and one evening their nextdoor neighbor approached as Gold and his 3year-old son watched a sunset over the water. “She says, ‘Oh, isn’t that great? The sun is falling into the ocean,’ ” Gold said. “Not to offend her, I didn’t say anything. But as soon as she left, I told my son about the planets

and the solar system, where the sun is going and how the Earth is turning on its axis. “I think if you asked him now, he appreciated the truth.” Gold applies the same no-nonsense attitude to matters of faith, and he is not alone in his godlessness, according to a survey released in October by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life. The survey found 20 percent of American adults don’t identify with any organized religion, up from 15 percent five years ago. More than 13 million Americans described themselves as atheistic or agnostic. If those numbers are translated to Butte County, Gold calculated, there are tens of thousands of residents who could potentially identify with the Coalition of Reason’s campaign. But Gold doesn’t expect a flood of new members; he recognizes it can be difficult for people to openly declare themselves atheists. “Just like my gay brothers and sisters, coming out of the closet is often a lifechanging event,” he said. “At one point in time, I decided that if people asked, I would tell them I was an atheist.” The real goal of the billboard campaign is to establish the coalition’s position in the community, he said. “One of the things religious organizations do offer is a sense of community,” Gold said. “That’s what we have too. We want to participate in daily life, politics and government, just with a secular voice. “I have no objection to somebody being religious,” he continued, “as long as they are doing it of their own free will and they’re not asking me to do it.” So, has he been confronted by someone who strongly disagrees with his stance? “Sure, they always quote the Bible,” he said with a smile. “You might as well quote Harry Potter to me. They have the same level of relevance, as far as I’m concerned.” Editor’s note: Just before it went to press, the CN&R learned that one of the billboards had been defaced. —HOWARD HARDEE howardh@newsreview.com

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CN&R 11

THE PULSE

HEALTHLINES Jim Salber shows off colorful yoga mats, like the ones he used to launch the yoga program at Chico State. Salber convinced the A.S. Bookstore at the time to sell the mats in an effort to generate a buzz about the new yoga classes.

MEDICAL-LOSS RATIO SAVES BIG

The Affordable Care Act’s medical-loss ratio provision saved American consumers close to $1.5 billion in 2011, research finds. The Commonwealth Fund’s study—based on financial reports filed by insurers with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners— found that administrative costs declined in 39 states, insurers in 37 states spent more of their customers’ premiums on medical care, operating costs declined in 34 states, and premium growth slowed, according to the Los Angeles Times. Under the medical-loss ratio provision, private insurers must spend a set percentage of premium dollars directly on medical costs— 80 percent and 85 percent for individual and group markets, respectively. Insurers that do not comply with the ratio must issue rebates to consumers.

JUDGES AT ODDS ON GAY CONVERSION

Two federal judges have issued contradictory rulings on whether California’s new law prohibiting gay-conversion therapy for minors— Senate Bill 1172—is constitutional. U.S. District Court Judge William Shubb ruled on Dec. 3 that the First Amendment rights of psychiatrists, psychologists and mental-health providers outweigh potential harm to teens, according to The Sacramento Bee. Shubb also disputed findings that have linked gay-conversion therapy to higher rates of depression and suicide, calling the studies “questionable and scientifically incomplete.” In a separate case, U.S. District Court Judge Kimberly Mueller ruled on Dec. 4 that the law does not infringe on the free-speech rights of minors or mental-health-care providers, adding that families have viable alternatives to conversion therapy. The conflicting rulings will be resolved by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Barring a successful appeal, the law is due to take effect on Jan. 1, 2013.

AUTISM IN THE AIR

Infants exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollution in the womb and during their first year of life have a higher risk of developing autism, a study finds. The report, compiled by researchers from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, compared 245 California children who were not autistic with 279 who were, finding the autistic children were almost twice as likely to have been exposed to the highest level of particulate-matter pollution, according to a USC press release. A link between autism and nitrogen dioxide, which is present in vehicle emissions, was also found. The study’s lead author, Heather Volk, said such pollution could affect brain development but warned that the research does not conclusively prove air pollution alone causes autism. Autism covers a wide spectrum of communication and social-interaction disorders that affect one in 88 children born in the United States.

12 CN&R December 13, 2012

Paying it back Corporate escapee who has taught yoga to thousands now teaches for free

story and photos by

Catherine Beeghly

MSphinx pose during your P.E. elective years ago at Chico State. Perhaps Jim aybe you did your first

Salber was your teacher. Maybe Salber challenged you to a King Dancer pose during yoga classes at In Motion Fitness. These days, people can be introduced to imaginatively named yoga poses—for free—in one of Salber’s senior-yoga classes at the Paradise Yoga Center and the Paradise Ridge Senior Center. “All my teaching is free now,” said Salber, the boyish 70-year-old whom many know as Yoga Jim. “I just like to volunteer my time. I like to pay it back.” Students past and present (this writer is one of them) know Salber for his words of wisdom, shared with a confident calm and a non-preachy delivery; his welcoming tone and messages soothe, like a radio host for classical music. “My approach is to allow space, and have a soothing voice,” said Salber of his teaching method.” It’s not something I tried to develop. I was just blessed with a calm and soothing voice.” Salber—a slender 5 feet 9 inches tall, blue-eyed, agile and easy to talk to— helped build two local yoga programs that now have thousands of devoted followers. He estimates that during his time at Chico State, he taught yoga to 3,000 students. The yoga program he co-founded at In Motion now has hundreds of students and 40 class-

es a week, covering a dozen different styles and levels. Salber was born in Ohio and raised

in the Bay Area, by parents ahead of their time with regard to healthful living. “One of my earliest memories in the 1950s is watching my mom watch Jack LaLanne teaching exercise classes on TV,” Salber said. “Exercise was as much a part of my family as brushing your teeth. It was about light eating; we had no second helpings. My parents were both good role models. Integrating exercise into your psyche as a

childhood experience is important.” Salber wasn’t always known as Yoga Jim, or—as some affectionately call him— “Groovy Jim.” He graduated from San Jose State in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. “I had a lucrative business career when I graduated,” he said. “For 30 years I was a salesman for IBM, and at a small startup electronics company. At different times I also worked as a stock broker, in corporate sales, and I built solar houses. HEALTHLINES continued on page 14

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Yet, as far as Dr. Conley is concerned, the fewer surgeries he has to perform, the better. He’d rather help patients through lifestyle changes and medication than surgical procedures, no matter how sophisticated and minimally invasive those operations may be. “Surgery should not be the first option in most cases,” Dr. Conley says. “It should be the final option, when more conservative alternatives have not been successful and the disease has progressed to the point where surgery is the best choice for the patient. “Many patients do not need surgery, but lifestyle modification.” They are asked to stop smoking and improve control of other risk factors— diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Sometimes, surgery is the best course. Patients with blocked arteries may require an operation to restore blood flow. Dr. Conley endeavors to make procedures and recovery the least invasive possible. Vascular and endovascular surgery deal with medical and surgical aspects of the arterial and venous systems exclusive of the heart. This includes carotid artery disease, which can cause stroke, the abdominal aorta (aneurism and blockage), and blockage of leg arteries, which can lead to pain with walking and limb loss.

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“Surgery... should be the final option.” Dr. Conley came to Oroville from Palm Springs, where he was in private practice and performed surgeries at two hospitals, Desert Regional Medical Center and Eisenhower Medical Center. He decided to practice in Oroville Hospital on the recommendation of a friend, Dr. Osahan Osifo, an Oroville Hospital anesthesiologist who also relocated from Southern California. “While interviewing, I was impressed with the spirit of the place,” Dr. Conley says. “It’s a very well-run hospital, and had a need for vascular and endovascular surgery.” “His endovascular training and extensive endovascular and vascular practice experience set him apart,” says his colleague, Dr. Steven Fletcher, a general surgeon at Oroville Hospital. “We are thrilled to have a new surgical colleague of Dr. Conley’s caliber.”

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CN&R 13

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HEALTHLINES “I’ve really just pursued my passion for yoga for the last 17 or so years.” He returned to college at age 40 at Southern Oregon University, where he earned an interdisciplinary master’s degree in business and social science in 1985. Salber’s adventures also include living in the country of Jordan—in 1998 he and his former wife became Peace Corps volunteers. As though he senses I’m turning 50 next year, anticipating major changes in the direction of my life, Salber gets excited to tell the next part. “You can have a real transition time, to make the jump you’ve been wanting to make in your life,” he offered. “For a lot of people I know, 50 is when they really start to follow what’s in their hearts.” Salber recalls the toll his career lifestyle was taking as 50 approached. “I was in hotels and planes half the time. It was affecting my chi, my prana—you know, my life force. I read a book called Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow [by Marsha Sinetar]. “That’s all true, except for the money part,” he joked of teaching yoga for free. “But that’s what I’ve been doing anyway—what I love.” Salber had traveled for business through Butte County in the 1970s, and wanted to live in Northern California. “I’ve been a gypsy most of my life, and I didn’t want to live in the Bay Area again. Living here I had an opportunity to be near a university, and teach at a university.” And that’s what he did, from 2001 to 2008. Annalisa Cunningham, a local yoga teacher, had persuaded retired coach Dick Trimmer to add one section of yoga to the Chico State P.E. Department offerings. Salber took over the program when Cunningham left a few years later, applying his experience in marketing to get college students to register for yoga. “Annalisa created a great base for the yoga program, and it really took off,” Salber said. “I went to the university bookstore and got the manager to carry those colorful yoga mats. I had him order a bunch of colors. “When you see someone carrying that [a mat] around, you have to ask, ‘What’s that?’” he continued. “I got the school newspaper to … [do] a front-page article on yoga. We went from three, to five, to 25 sections of yoga classes. We couldn’t add sections fast enough.” The year prior, Salber had worked with Deanna Figueroa to start the yoga program at In

continued from page 12

Motion. “We had one or two students per class sometimes,” he recalled. “We thought it was not gonna fly. Within a year, we had 20 or 30 students, and by the end of the next year we had maybe 70.” Yoga is only part of what Salber does for exercise, though. “I lift weights. I garden. I walk 15 to 20 miles a week.

I do a variety of things. Unless you’re a cement block, you need variety from repetition.” Salber doesn’t expect any kind of credit for his role in the local growth of yoga. “I’m just a guy who happened to be chosen by yoga to pass it on,” he said. “I didn’t choose yoga; it chose me. I’ve tried to leave it, but it keeps pulling me back.” Ω

Yoga Jim connection:

Salber— a limber, youthful 70-year-old— strikes a yoga pose.

Paradise Yoga Center is located at 7655 Skyway in Paradise; call 8760503 or go to www.paradiseyoga center.com/wordpress to learn more. Paradise Ridge Senior Center is located at 877 Nunneley Road in Paradise; call 877-1733 or go to www.paradiseridgeseniorcenter.org for more info. Contact Jim Salber at 518-4918.

WEEKLY DOSE Zombie Apocalypse: Be prepared If there’s anything that TV and the movies have taught us, it’s that there are many potential disasters out there, natural and otherwise, for which being prepared can mean the difference between surviving and lurching through the streets in search of human brains for sustenance. Thankfully, the folks at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have provided a preparedness guide to help ride out any forthcoming zombie apocalypse … or even storms, floods or other emergencies. Make a kit: Put together an emergency kit for your house that includes: water (one gallon per person, per day), non-perishable food, medications, tools (duct tape, flashlight, batteries, utility knife, etc.), battery-powered radio, sanitation/hygiene (soap, bleach, towels), change of clothes, bedding, important documents (copies of I.D., birth certificate, etc.), and first-aid kit (although it’ll do little good if a zombie bites you). Make a plan: Identify the types of emergencies possible in your area; pick a meeting place for your family to regroup outside the home in the event you can’t return; make an emergency-contact list (fire, police, relatives); plan an evacuation route. The CDC has even published a zombie-themed disaster-preparedness comic called Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic. Search “zombie” at www.emergency.cdc.gov for more info.

EARTH WATCH

GREENWAYS Jamie Musser, in the main room of her jam-packed, home-based thrift boutique on East Ninth Avenue. Inset: Oodles of belts and scarves hang on a rack at Lovene’s.

COMPUTER ENERGY USE REDUCED

Chico Unified School District (CUSD) has earned a substantial energy-efficiency incentive check from Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). PG&E awarded CUSD $70,740 for the district’s power-management systems that reduce energy loads on 4,716 desktop computers when they aren’t in use, according to a PG&E press release. The retrofit incentive program covers more than half the cost of installing the system, which is expected to annually save the district $175,000 in energy costs. The system also will save 934,200 kilowatt hours of electricity—an amount of energy consumed by about 140 average homes—each year.

TWO-DEGREE GOAL OUT OF REACH?

Scientists believe it is unlikely global warming will be limited to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, a threshold identified as the “point of no return.” A study published in the journal Nature Climate Change found that global emissions rose by 3 percent last year as the world’s nations combined to pump roughly 38.2 billion tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide—about a billion tons more than the previous year, according to SFGate.com. Of the top 10 heaviest polluting nations, only the United States and Germany reduced their CO2 emissions. China led the pack by increasing its emissions by 10 percent, to 10 billion tons. Nearly 200 nations agreed to the 2-degree temperature goal three years ago. As emissions have steadily risen and most carbon stays in the air for about a century, it is “rather optimistic” to think the world will be able to limit temperature increase to 2 degrees, said the study’s lead author, Glen Peters, of the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo, Norway. Peters said the world must “throw everything we have” at the problem to reach that goal.

A NATURAL LEADER

The Chico Creek Nature Center has appointed a new executive director to replace interim director Don Krysakowski of the Work Training Center. Laura Beck—a Chico State graduate with 24 years of experience at the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks—was introduced as the new director on Dec. 6 at the nature center’s annual members meeting, according to the Chico EnterpriseRecord. She and her husband, Larry Beck, returned to Chico six months ago, and her daughter is enrolled at Butte Community College. Beck (pictured) said her main priorities will be creating educational programs for all ages and scheduling drop-in events for park visitors on weekends.

Thrift-shop grande dame Jamie Musser’s eclectic thrift boutique has been around since the 1970s

story and photos by

Christine G.K. LaPado-Breglia c h r i s t i n e l @ n e w s r e v i e w. c o m

Mof the noticeable uptick locally in small shops devoted to selling fashionable uch has been made recently

used and upcycled clothing. One, downtown’s popular Three Sixty Ecotique, was referred to as “the grandmother of ecofashion shops” in a recent CN&R Greenways feature (see “Upcycled couture,” CN&R, Nov. 8). If Three Sixty Ecotique is the grandmother of second-hand boutiques, then Lovene’s Clothing & Collectables— Finding Lovene’s:

Lovene’s Clothing & Collectables is located at 252 East Ninth Ave. (on the corner of East Ninth and Oleander), and is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or by appointment.

tucked inside the East Ninth Avenue home of 81-year-old Jamie Musser—is certainly the great-grandmother, the matriarch, of the local recycled-clothing scene. Lovene’s—named after Musser’s grandmother (and Musser’s middle name)—has been around since November 1976, when Musser first opened up the front rooms of her house as a second-hand store. Upon entering the front door of Lovene’s, one is struck by just how much stuff is shoehorned into two rooms. Row upon row of skirts, shirts, dresses (many of

them vintage, including a wedding dress from 1910) and coats occupy space alongside (and underneath) piles of hats, gloves and table linen; racks of shoes, belts and scarves; and shelves of drinking glasses, tea cups and eye-catching knick-knacks. Super-good deals, such as a size 7/8 like-new iridescent-peach prom dress for $20, occupy quarters with curious items such as a snap-under-the-crotch, white “Jim Shirt” (as the tag that came with the shirt when Musser acquired it mistakenly spelled “gym shirt”) dated 1930, and trendy pieces such as a pair of “snoods”— large crocheted caps such as the those worn by folks with dreadlocks. “The only reason I opened the shop to begin with was I figured I didn’t need all the stuff I was accumulating—lots of furniture, wicker, dishes—all this stuff,” said Musser recently, sitting in the living room of the 1908 wooden house she shares with her 9-year-old Airedale-boxer mix, Dulce. GREENWAYS continued on page 16 December 13, 2012

CN&R 15

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remains a big part of Musser’s life; sitting with Musser, one’s eyes can hardly take it all in. Notable amidst her many acquisitions (and this is just in her living area) are several antique “pie safes”—free-standing, screened-in cupboards used in the 19th century for keeping varmints out of the pies and other edibles. Piled on a table near Musser were stack after stack of used cashmere sweaters—just a fraction of the numerous items for sale that have “sneaked” their way into just about all the rooms of Musser’s house as the inventory in the jam-packed shop-rooms overflows and, like water, forges a new path and place to settle. “I had lots of mothers-of-friends [at the time] who had doilies, crystal, nice wine glasses,” noted Musser—an amiable, chatty woman who is an unabashed, regular thrift-shopper and packrat—of

ECO EVENT OUTRUN OLD MAN WINTER Possibly the best way to warm up on a chilly winter’s morn’: run an obscenely long distance. So skip the cocoa on Sunday, Dec. 16, and come out to Cedar Grove in Bidwell Park for the Jack Frost 10K run, which begins at 8 a.m. Bring a new and unwrapped toy in addition to paying a $20 registration fee. Go to www.fleetfeetchico.com/ races/jack-frost-10k or call 879-9000 to register or for more info.

how she amassed her original inventory, which included excess clothing from her own bursting closet. “When I started running out of my own stuff, I started going to yard sales, which I love.” She also regularly frequents rummage and estate sales. Musser “just can’t stay away”

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UNCOMMON SENSE It’s a wrap The gift-giving-at-a-massive-level season is here. And since it’s the thought that counts, you know what’s really a good idea? Delivering those gifts in eco-friendly wrap. Americans generate 25 percent more trash during the holidays, much of which is singleuse wrapping paper, which looks pretty for a few days under the tree, then gets shredded and tossed into the recycling bin or— worse yet—the landfill. Here are some great ways to avoid using brand-new wrapping paper: • Furoshiki is a Japanese style of wrapping that substitutes fabric for disposable paper. It’s a techFuroshiki! nique that avoids the use of ribbon, tape and sewing. It’s just wrapping and tying knots. Think of fitting a diaper without the pins. Scarves, towels, cloth napkins and—heck—even a diaper will work. (Go to http://tinyurl.com/furoshikivid to watch a furoshiki how-to video!) • Fabric gift bags are like paper gift bags but don’t get tossed after opening. Any flat-bottomed tote will work, or you can make your own. (Click on http://tinyurl.com/fabbag for a tutorial.) • Vintage gift wrap can ideally be used on a gift for someone who will appreciate its deeper beauty and make the effort to carefully remove it so it can be used yet again for such things as craft projects. Keeping this in mind, go easy on the tape! • Reusable containers can take the place of a wrap and, as the name implies, be used again and again, not just to disguise gifts, but for other practical purposes like holding office supplies. Suggestions include mugs, baskets, Altoids tins, Mason jars, metal tins and buckets and cookie jars.

from thrift shops, she said. “I’ll go to the store to get some olive oil, and, well, it won’t be too far away from [the] ARC [Thrift Store] or one of those places, and I just stop in.” She also began sewing items— such as the three-tiered gypsy dresses and dresses and skirts made from old men’s silk ties that she became known for—to sell in her shop. “Before I bought this house, I owned a rental—I thought I would go into owning property and managing it,” said Musser, who has a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Chico State (she’s also an accomplished painter). “But I decided I liked the shop once I started, and I liked sewing.” Musser, whose mother was a milliner at a hotel in San Francisco, learned to sew as a teenager. Musser’s life-and-business philosophy is simple: “If I get something new, I have to put something out there in the shop. “It’s very handy for clutterbugs to have a shop,” said Musser, adding, “It’s really my social life. I love my customers. “I don’t want to quit,” she said. “No—because I wouldn’t be able to buy new stuff. And I like to see what’s out there!” Ω

Jamie Musser’s Wayne Thiebaudinspired gumball-machine painting.

more GREENWAYS continued on page 18 16 CN&R December 13, 2012

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CHAI FOR THE HOLIDAYS Chico Chai owner Sarah Adams has put the word out

that her business’ annual Holiday Open House will take place on Sunday, Dec. 16, from noon to 4 p.m. “Come see the chai brewing, enjoy tastings of all the different chai blends and have your tea leaves read,” wrote Adams (pictured) in a recent press release. The free, open-to-the-public event will be held at the Chico Chai kitchen at 1919 Park Ave. (nextdoor to Bacio Catering & Carry Out). Go to www.chicochaitea.com or call 519-3993 to find out more Chico Chai’s Sarah Adams will stir up the holiday cheer on Dec. 16. about yummy Chico Chai. PHOTO BY CHRISTINE G.K. LAPADO-BREGLIA

THANKS FOR THE EMAIL Seen on a T-shirt in the Bay Area by someone who identified herself as “a steady reader” of The GreenHouse: GMO? OMG! WTF are we eating?! Love it. KEEPING AN EYE ON OUR NEIGHBORS Orien Nelson and Michael Pike (pictured)

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were part of a small Nov. 27 protest near the Kinder Morgan “tank farm” at the Midway and Hegan Lane. Protesters were calling attention to the petroleum/natural-gas transporter’s proposed new pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby, Canada, which would “potentially require dredging the Second Narrows channel to allow supertankers to access the Kinder Morgan terminal and carry the tar sands oil to U.S. and Chinese markets,” according to the Sierra Club, which also warns that “even more disturbingly, the pipeline would carry diluted bitumen from Alberta’s tar sands rather than convenOrien Nelson (left) and Michael Pike were part of tional crude. Diluted bitumen a small Nov. 27 protest near the Kinder Morgan contains a highly toxic and “tank farm” at the Midway and Hegan Lane. explosive soup of chemicals. Protesters were calling attention to the petroleAn accident could potentially um/natural-gas transporter’s proposed new require the evacuation of pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby, Canada. large parts of the city, as hapPHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS NELSON pened on a smaller scale when an Enbridge pipeline sprung a leak in Kalamazoo, Michigan.” Go to www.tinyurl.com/taroil to learn more about this controversial project.

Smart Soapmaking, by Anne L. Watson, at Lyon Books (121 W. Fifth St., 8913338). I highly recommend Watson’s book as both a Christmas present and as a means to make lovely bars of homemade soap to give for Christmas. Its subtitle—The Simple Guide to Making Traditional Handmade Soap Quickly, Safely, and Reliably, or How to Make Luxurious Handcrafted Soaps for Family, Friends, and Yourself—really says it all. The 115-page book includes easy soapmaking recipes, such as ones for avocado soap and almond facial soap, as well as “Anne’s Longer-Lasting Soap,” featuring cocoa, avocado and shea butter, and palm and coconut oils. Among the myths about soapmaking that Watson dispels in her book: “Soapmaking is difficult.” Wrong, she says. Using “tried and true” recipes is a sure-fire guarantee of success. Ditto for “Soapmaking is expensive,” especially when it comes to gift-giving; it’s actually “less expensive than hitting the malls for every event that comes along,” Watson reminds the reader.

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Taking it nationwide

Debating a label For close to a month supporters of Proposition 37, the effort to label genetically modified foods, had been holding their breath in anticipation of the final results of the general election. When the California secretary of state website updated the final numbers on Monday (Dec. 3), the measure had come up only 1.5 percentage points (48.5 percent to 51.5 percent) short of a majority. For the No on 37 camp, including some local farmers, there was a lot at stake. The same can be said for the Yes on 37 campaign. And while these two groups disagree on the merits of the measure, they agree that the discussion about labeling genetically modified foods isn’t going away. In this special issue you’ll hear takes on Prop. 37—and the future of the food movement—from both sides of the debate.

Failed Proposition 37 grows food movement beyond California’s borders by

Christine G.K. LaPado-Breglia christinel@newsreview.com

“O

ne of the more interesting things we will learn on Nov. 6 is whether or not there is a ‘food movement’ in America worthy of the name— that is, an organized force in our politics capable of demanding change in the food system,” wrote widely known food activist and author Michael Pollan in an Oct. 10 New York Times piece titled “Vote for the Dinner Party.” Pollan was, of course, referring to California’s since-defeated Proposition 37 ballot initiative, which lost by a small margin of three points. If passed, it would have required the labeling of genetically modified (GMO) foods sold in the state. “Clearly there is growing sentiment in favor of reforming American agriculture and interest in questions about where our food comes from and how it was produced,” Pollan continued. “And certainly we can see an alternative food economy rising around us: Local and organic agriculture is growing far faster than the food market as a whole. “But a market and a sentiment are not quite the same thing as a political movement—something capable of frightening politicians and propelling its concerns onto the national agenda.” Although Prop. 37 lost, thanks in large part to the nearly $50 million spent by pesticide and Big Food corporations such as Monsanto, DuPont, PepsiCo and Kraft Foods Global on an aggressive mailer-andtelevision-ad campaign, those who worked on the Yes on 37 campaign insist the initiative is only the beginning of a growing nationwide movement to know what’s in the foods we are eating.

may have lost at the polls, the fact that they [Monsanto, etc.] spent so much money and were so devious and unethical in their tactics, and that the margin was so small, says a lot to me,” Larry said during a recent interview. She expressed frustration with a No on 37 campaign that was accused of deceptive tactics—such as falsely portraying campaign front man Dr. Henry I. Miller as a representative of Stanford University (Stanford subsequently forced the TV ads and mailers claiming this to be edited), and sending out a mailer masquerading as Democratic campaign literature encouraging voters to vote “yes” in all the “really politically correct ways that Democrat voters would vote, such as ‘yes’ on Obama and ‘yes’ on Prop. 30, except ‘no’ on 37,” said Larry (go to www.tinyurl.com/gmoshenanigans to see mailer). Larry reflected on how far the Prop. 37 campaign came from its early days. “In the first place, very few people were ever talking about genetically modified foods when we started this campaign—now, most people have heard of GMOs. It’s become a national discussion.” Typical of the hope-inspiring conversations Larry and other volunteers had during the campaign were some “NATIONWIDE” continued on page 22

One of those optimistic pro-37

campaigners is none other than Pamm Larry, the now internationally known grandmother from Chico who initiated and led the successful grassroots charge to get Prop. 37 on the ballot. “Even though it appears that we

Food activist Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma. PHOTO BY ADAM SCHWEIGERT VIA FLICKR

December 13, 2012

CN&R 21

“NATIONWIDE” continued from page 21

Vastly Campaign funding paints David vs. Goliath story all of the statewide ballot measures in the election, Proposition 37 ended up Obeingfgeneral the tightest race. When final election

with people who had already voted “no” by absentee ballot. After being informed of such things as the potential health hazards of ingesting GMO-containing foods, “they would look so betrayed and angry,” Larry said. “And that’s going to come back and bite them [the corporations that are actively against labeling] in the butt.” The continuous flurry of Prop. 37-related activity that Larry has been at the center of for more than a year and a half “has slowed down some” since the election, she said, “but only because I’ve made it slow down.” Small breather aside, Larry remains actively involved in an ongoing effort to mandate the labeling of foods containing GMOs, a movement that now spans states across the country. People are calling her from around the United States asking advice on how to proceed with their own, similar campaigns in their respective states, she said. Pro-labelers from the state of Washington, for instance, are in the process of gathering signatures to put a GMOlabeling initiative on next year’s ballot. “Three major industries are pushing this [in Washington state]—wheat and apple farmers and salmon fishers,” Larry noted. “And Vermont and Connecticut are very busy with getting [GMO-labeling] legislation introduced again. They learned from the past, are regrouping and are coming back stronger.” Florida, too, “is organizing pretty strongly,” she said. At the time of the writing of this article, those who worked on the Yes on 37 campaign in California were getting ready to gather for “a summit … to decide how to move forward,” Larry said. “The basic message will be to get the word out about genetically engineered foods in any way that we can through directly connecting with people.” Along similar lines, “a national coalition is forming. … Thirty-one states have 22 CN&R December 13, 2012

formed a coalition to help each other,” in the fight to label GMO foods (go to www.labelgmos.org to view the official website of the as-yet unnamed coalition). “We will become a national grassroots movement.” “Everybody told me, ‘If you lose [the fight to pass Prop. 37], you will discourage the GMO[-labeling] movement,” said Larry. “It’s been just the opposite.” Zack Kaldveer, the Bay Area-

based consumer-rights advocate who served as the assistant media director for the Yes on 37 campaign, is similarly upbeat. “A million-and-a-half-dollar-a-day fear campaign was just enough to beat us by a point and a half,” said Kaldveer in a recent phone interview. “It’s important to remember these details. “I don’t think we should deny what this says about our democracy. The initiative process is critical to citizens’ right to take issues into our own hands and take advantage of direct democracy. It’s a critical component to political change in California, but is also taken over, manipulated and corrupted by corporate power. … “Prop. 37 epitomized all that’s great about the initiative process,” he offered. “It’s exactly what Hiram Johnson [the 23rd governor of California] had in mind [when he and fellow progressives added the initiative process to state government in 1911]— the ability of citizens to take critical public policy into their own hands when state legislatures or the [federal] government refuse to act on issues that are overwhelmingly supported by the public at large but have become beholden to corporate interests—in Labeling on the move:

Go to www.labelgmos.org to follow the nascent national GMO-labeling movement.

Yes on 37 Assistant Media Director Zack Kaldveer being interviewed by KTVU Channel 2 outside of an Oakland Walmart. Pro-Prop. 37 demonstrators standing behind him were demanding the retailer label its genetically engineered, insecticide-laced corn from Monsanto. PHOTO COURTESY OF ZACK KALDVEER

this case, the pesticide and junk-food industries—and not the public good.” The Prop. 37 campaign “represented a wonderful democratic movement—taking an issue of critical importance to the future of our health, our environment and our food supply,” said Kaldveer. “Unfortunately, what we saw was that $50 million of pesticide and junk-food money could stifle and defeat what was an overwhelmingly popular initiative that could benefit everyone in this state—except the corporations taking over our food supply without our knowledge and consent. “In light of this true food movement that we have begun here in California, what some might have feared was going to be the end of the effort for transparency in our food system … is actually an unstoppable movement that has just begun. Washington state, for instance, will be bringing a labeling initiative like Prop. 37 to the ballot next year, and Oregon is beginning the signature-gathering process to do the same. “It’s extremely exciting, and should lift anyone’s spirit that may have been squashed by the injustice done to the people’s ‘right to know’ in California,” Kaldveer said. “I believe, at the end of the day, truth always prevails, and we’re not going to be quiet about this. We’re not backing down. We’re not going away,” said Larry. Pollan should be heartened. Ω more GMO stories continued on page 24

results were tallied last Monday (Dec. 3), just 1.5 points stood in the way of its passing and forcing food manufacturers to label products containing genetically modified ingredients. Yet there was an immense difference in the level of campaign support in terms of dollars. The Yes on 37 camp was outspent fivefold by the No on 37 camp’s $45.6 million war chest from corporate biochemical- and food-industry donors, such as PepsiCo, Bayer, Coca-Cola and Nestlé, and of course the biggest supporter by far, GMO giant Monsanto, whose contributions alone ($8.1 million) nearly equaled that of the entire budget of the Yes on 37 campaign ($8.9 million). “We always knew we were the underdog and going up against some of the biggest chemical companies in the world, and many of them were foreign companies who aren’t allowed to grow in their own countries,” said Gary Ruskin, campaign manager of the Yes on 37 (California Right to Know) campaign. Even still, early on passage of the measure appeared viable, thanks to a vigorous grassroots effort. Support for the measure appeared solid as late as September, with 61 percent of voters in favor, according to a poll conducted jointly by the University of Southern California and the Los Angeles Times. However, by October that support had fallen by 17 percent. Around that time, Dan Schnur, director of the poll and of the Unruh Institute of Politics at USC, explained the waning Yes-on-37 numbers. “[T]he most significant driving force behind this shift is the amount of money that the opposition has put into the campaign,” Schnur said in a press release. “When voters hear a message so much more strongly from one side than the other, it’s not surprising to see the poll numbers move like this.” At least part of the money paid for an opposition ad featuring Henry I. Miller, from the conservative Hoover Institution, that appeared to link the researcher to Stanford University, though the Hoover Institute is simply housed at Stanford and the university has a policy against endorsing candidates and ballot measures. The

outspent

Select Boots on Sale Now

SMOG CHECK

winterization

check

2995

BatterY raDiator

Follow the money Yes on 37

No on 37

Donor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amount Organic Consumers Fund . . . . .$1,334,865 Mercola Health Resources . . . .$1,115,000 Kent Whealy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,000,000 Nature’s Path Foods . . . . . . . . .$660,709 Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps . . . .$566,438 Mark Squire/Stillonger Trust . . .$440,000 Wehah Farm (Lundberg Family Farms) . . . . .$251,500 Ali Partovi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$219,113 Amy’s Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$200,000 Great Foods of America . . . . . . .$177,000 Alex Bogusky . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100,000 Clif Bar & Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100,000 Cropp Cooperative (Organic Valley) . . . . . . . . . . . .$100,000 Annie’s, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$50,000 Michael S. Funk . . . . . . . . . . . . .$50,000 Nutiva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$50,000

Donor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amount Monsanto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$8,112,867 E.I. Dupont De Nemours & Co. . .$5,400,000 Pepsico, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,145,400 Grocery Manufacturers Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,002,000 DOW Agrisciences . . . . . . . . . .$2,000,000 Bayer Cropscience . . . . . . . . . .$2,000,000 BASF Plant Science . . . . . . . . . .$2,000,000 Syngenta Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,000,000 Kraft Foods Global . . . . . . . . . .$1,950,500 Coca-Cola North America . . . . .$1,700,500 Nestle USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,315,600 Conagra Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,176,700 General Mills . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,135,300 Kellogg Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$790,000 Smithfield Foods . . . . . . . . . . .$683,900 Del Monte Foods . . . . . . . . . . . .$674,100 Campbell’s Soup . . . . . . . . . . . .$500,000 Heinz Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500,000 Hershey Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$493,900 The J.M. Smucker Co. . . . . . . .$485,000 Bimbo Bakeries . . . . . . . . . . . .$422,900 Ocean Spray Cranberries . . . . .$387,100 Mars Food North America . . . .$376,650 Council for Biotechnology Information . . . .$375,000 Hormel Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$374,300 Unilever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$372,100 Bumble Bee Foods . . . . . . . . . .$368,500 Sara Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$343,600 Kraft Food Group . . . . . . . . . . .$304,500 Pinnacle Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . .$266,100 Dean Foods Co. . . . . . . . . . . . .$253,950 Biotechnology Industry Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$252,000 Bunge North America . . . . . . . .$248,600 McCormick & Co. . . . . . . . . . . .$248,200 Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. . . . . . . . . .$237,664 Abbott Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . .$234,500 Cargill, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$226,846 Rich Products Corp. . . . . . . . . .$225,537 Flowers Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . .$182,000 Dole Packaged Foods . . . . . . . .$171,261 Knouse Foods Cooperative . . . .$164,731

Additional donors of less than $50,000 not included

ad was edited to reflect those inaccuracies, including removing the campus from the background of the video, at Stanford’s request. And that wasn’t the only misleading way in which the opponents attempted to sway voters, supporters charge. “The No campaign was stacked top to bottom with trickery, deception and falsehoods,” said Ruskin, who pointed to a list at www.carighttoknow.org of documented allegations of deception in the No on 37 campaign. The good news in the wake of the defeat of Prop. 37, Ruskin said, is that the companies that opposed the measure eventually will have to cave in to the demands of their customers. “These are highly consumer-driven companies,” he said. “Forty-eight percent [of the voting populace] said they want labels, and they should listen.” —Melissa Daugherty melissad@newsreview.com

Additional donors of less than $150,000 not included Source: www.ballotpedia.org

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CN&R 23

View from a farm Why many small-scale growers opposed Proposition 37 by

Ken Smith kens@newsreview.com

t face value, it’s easy to paint the fight over Proposition 37 in black-and-white terms, as a grassroots movement based on people’s “right to know” and endorsed by the likes of the Consumers Union and United Farm Workers, versus an opposition most visibly backed by a collection of large food and pharmaceutical companies, including Bayer and Monsanto. But opponents of the initiative, such as Jamie Johansson, second vice president of the California Farm Bureau and owner of Lodestar Farms in Oroville, insist that a closer look at Prop. 37 reveals flaws that would have negatively affected California’s agriculture industry and its consumers. During the campaign, Johansson participated in dozens of media interviews, spoke to newspaper editorial boards and signed the official argument against Prop. 37 presented in the Official Voter Information Guide. “Though it was sold to the voters as a simple consumer right-to-know labeling law, Proposition 37 actually went beyond the simple labeling of GMOs,” Johansson contends. “The extra provisions that were written into the proposition would have caused hardships and a greater financial burden for consumers as well as farmers.” One of Prop. 37’s most dangerous shortcomings, he said, was an enforcement provision that would have allowed any person to sue for alleged violations, even without proof of damages or loss. “Retailers would be first in line to be sued by any enterprising lawyer who picked something up off a supermarket shelf,” he said,

“because the burden is on the retailer to ensure the label is correct. From there it would trickle down to processors and to farms and fields.” Even barring potential lawsuits, Prop. 37 opponents argue, the law would have created a costly certification system similar to what farmers use to be certified organic. Johansson noted a voluntary process to become GMOfree certified is already in place. The Farm Bureau, he said, supports easing restrictions and mainstreaming this option, but opposes all mandatory labeling. “Even if you didn’t use them, you would still have to verify you were GMO free,” he explained, using his own farm—which is GMO free—as an example. “In my case we produce olive oil, and we would have to prove there were no GMOs in all the steps along the way, from farming the olives, to ensuring the

Jamie Johansson stands in his Oroville olive orchard. PHOTO BY KYLE DELMAR

oil wouldn’t commingle with GMO oils in the mill, and all the way up to the retailer. Each step would require third-party verification. “Anytime you add a cost to farmers, it’s going to fall heavier on the smaller farms,” he continued, noting the money could be better spent on more effective programs than labeling. “If you have to do a $500 test on a batch of your product to verify it’s GMO free, we’d rather see that $500 spent on promoting a ‘buy fresh, buy local’ program.” Johansson said another fundamental flaw with Prop. 37 was that it limited the GMO discussion by excluding a number of foods, including animal products and food prepared for immediate consumption in restaurants. “It’s interesting that it was supposedly

based on a consumer’s right to know, yet twothirds of the food that consumers enjoy would’ve been exempted. People have serious concerns, and farmers have been informed in recent years, about potential concerns regarding using GMOs in livestock feed, like GMO corn products or Roundupready alfalfa [a controversial Monsanto-engineered biotech crop whose use was suspended between 2007 and 2011 pending further USDA investigation].” As for the anti-37 camp’s being bankrolled by big business, Johansson said it’s just how the system works, and big money helped amplify small voices: “It was an opportunity for the voice of the small farmer to be heard; it’s expensive to legislate through the ballot box. If you’re going to win, and you’re going to get your message across in California, it’s expensive.” Johansson said the agriculture industry welcomes “frank, honest and civil” discourse about the use of GMOs and that, even for all its flaws, Prop. 37 succeeded in bringing light to the discussion. “No one on either side believes this issue is going away, and that’s good. It’s been a tremendous opportunity to have a serious discussion with voters, who are ultimately our consumers, about what’s happening on the farm, and that discussion benefits everyone,” he said. “We want consumers to know what we do on the farm and why we do it. If we’re planting a GMO seed, if we’re utilizing that technology, it’s because we believe there is a benefit to the farm and to the consumer, whether it’s an environmental, health or a cost-saving benefit.” Ω more GMO continued on page 25

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FILE NAME MCMAINS BAIL BONDS

Drawn to a cause Chico’s Pamm Larry helped lead the effort to label GMOs

story and photo by

Tom Gascoyne

tomg@newsreview.com

ccording to her business card, Pamm Larry is the “Initial Instigator and Chief Rabble Rouser” of the Proposition 37 movement. If you ask her, she’s just “a grandmother from Chico.” Larry has lived in Chico for 34 years, although for the past two years or so she’s been “houseless,” crashing on friends’ and relatives’ couches while traveling the state to qualify Prop. 37 for the ballot and then promote it to voters. Larry’s credited with leading the massive and unprecedented grassroots effort to pass Prop 37. She helped organize and lead some 10,000 volunteers statewide. “History will show,” she said in a recent interview, “that we got 971,126 [ballot-qualification] signatures in 10 weeks.” Larry was born in Chicago, lived in Detroit for a while, where she attended Western Michigan University before moving to California with the man she would eventually marry and with whom she would have three children. They spilt up nearly 20 years ago. She moved to Chico to finish university and, like so many other longtime locals, she’s been here ever since. The past two years have been hectic. “I haven’t stopped traveling,” she said. “I was volunteering my time for the first 16 months.” Larry’s passion is visible. She speaks in sort of a stream-of-consciousness style that is both informative and sincere. “I got paid for four months and then volunteered the last month because I couldn’t

give money to the campaign,” she said of her time on the road. “But I could at least donate my time. With no income, you’ve got to watch your pennies, so I lived off of savings for over a year. It seemed stupid to rent a place when I’m never here.” In her earlier life, before Prop. 37,

Larry was a midwife and, in the late 1980s and early ’90s, an organic farmer and business owner. “I ran a company called From the Garden,” she said. More recently she’s been a consultant to therapists working with couples on relationship issues. “I’ve worn a lot of hats,” she said. “I got my degree from Chico State in religious studies. I’m a deeply passionate person about life. I did the birth thing as a midwife, and the death thing with dried flowers. I care about the planet and the people on it, and that is where it comes from. And I have a strong sense of rage at people who are violating what I consider to be ethics.” She started the ballot-initiative effort on Jan. 20, 2011. “Who knows how these things come about?” she said. “I’ve always been interested in real food. And I know enough about science to make me a little dangerous.” She says she has long mistrusted America’s big businesses, and that uneasiness eventually led to Prop. 37. “I don’t trust the whole corporate system and what is going on with our world,” she said. “I got very depressed, felt catatonic and started becoming like a multi-level marketer to all my lovely friends here in Chico, who, when they saw me walking up to them, would say, ‘Oh God, not that GMO stuff again.’” She was living with her friend Donna Garri-

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Pamm Larry, next to her anti-GMO car, “Sally.”

son at the time and started a website with the help of one of Garrison’s “couch-surfer people.” “I studied how to do a ballot initiative and developed a plan, part of which was to reach out to all of the other organizations because nothing was going to happen if it remained a grandmother-from-Chico thing.” Soon after, she jumped in her Toyota Camry, “Sally,” with its license plate “GMO OMG,” and began her journey up and down the state. Little did she know that the effort to require GMO labeling in California would turn out to have national and international impacts. Larry said her parents were not

activists, but they raised her well. “My father was a lawyer and taught ethics,” she said. “He used to grill us at the kitchen table about these larger questions in

life, and he would always play the devil’s advocate, so we’d have to think about these things. My mother was an artist. No, they weren’t really activists, just a basic middleclass family, whose dad had heart attacks all the time.” She has three daughters—one in town, one in Los Angeles and one in the Air Force. And, of course, she has two grandchildren. “I encourage people to get involved in those things that concern them,” she said. “Don’t believe the lie that you can’t make a difference. The people who are angriest right now are those who did nothing. You know, people would say to me: ‘Why are you doing this?’ I would say it’s really selfserving. I want to be able to look at myself in five years and say, ‘I did everything I possibly could.’” Ω

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CN&R 25

Arts & Culture Cameraman Robbie Reaves focuses on The Hambones. Inset: Bunnymilk’s Kelly Brown at the mic in front of the camera.

Bands on film

PHOTOS BY MELANIE MACTAVISH

A revolving cast of collaborators making music videos in Room 708

T music project takes its name from the address of Origami Lounge—the place where each session is hough the website and live-video

filmed and ostensibly produced by the recording studio/venue’s Scott Barwick—the owner/impresario is quick to note by that Room 708 is a collaborative Ken Smith project. kens@ “From the beginning, I wanted newsreview.com to make this a collective type of thing,” Barwick explained, slouching in an office chair in the control ROOM 708 Watch live-music room of the cavern-like complex at videos online at Seventh and Cherry streets. “I’m www.room708.org into music and video and have a lot of friends that are, too, and know there’s a lot of other talent out there. So I figured, I have the space, let’s do something fun. “I wanted people who don’t normally work together to work together, and collaborate with people I’ve never had the chance to before,” he continued. “Music is an easy way to bring all kinds of artists—musicians, photographers, set designers, whatever—together. My original idea was to have a revolving cast of completely different people working on each session.” While touting the idea to possible collaborators, Barwick found two people—videophiles Robbie Reaves and Kyle Forrest Burns—who were particularly interested. With the trio forming the foundation, they recruited more friends, began filming and launched a website featuring videos of their first three acts—locals The Sad Bastards and Bunnymilk and Oakland’s Avita Treason—last spring. The selection of artists is not limited by genre and a different nook or cranny of Origami’s spacious interior is transformed into a set for each shoot. The videos also vary a great deal cinematically. For example, Bunnymilk’s performances are somber, soft-focused and dimly lit, while Avita Treason’s are hyper-colored, heavily-filtered and filled with quick cuts. Barwick said he wants to keep the overall mix of local to touring artists equal. Subsequent sessions have featured Chico’s Into the Open Earth

26 CN&R December 13, 2012

and The Hambones, as well as touring bands True Widow (Denton, Texas) and You Are Plural (Olympia, Wash.). Barwick said the Room 708 shooting process is rather loose and always developing, but usually begins with someone stepping into the director role. “A lot of it is pretty off the cuff,” Burns added. “Sometimes the only pre-thought-out thing is who’s directing. They might have a vision of how to set up and then we all bounce ideas off each other.” The band plays three songs, each with two takes, while the crew of the moment films the action on two to three cameras, depending on available manpower and equipment, while Origami’s recording resources are used to capture the audio. In keeping with the collaborative aesthetic of the project, directors hand the visuals off to an editor and sound engineers pass the audio on to be mixed by someone else. This has already led to some interesting collaborations and not just with locals, Barwick noted. “Ephriam [Nagler] from You are Plural is an audio engineer at a great studio in Olympia, so it was really cool for him to get to take his own band’s music and mix it,” he said. Burns, Barwick and Reaves have redoubled their Room 708 activities recently, and hope to keep up a steady pace in the future. They’ve also considered branching out and doing more video work, such as short documentaries. However the project evolves, they’re all enjoying the collaborative process, and its final products. “Everyone I show it to is surprised at the quality,” Reaves said. “We’re trying to do something we can all be proud of.” “What I like most is that it’s like-minded people getting together and doing something creative,” Burns said. “I grew up being home schooled and making movies with my brothers. This has been a great opportunity to meet more people and do that.” Barwick and company said they hope to recruit more people into the fold and are constantly looking for artists and technicians of all stripes to collaborate on future projects. “The more people we have who are interested, the more we can do,” Barwick said. Ω

THIS WEEK 13

THURS

Special Events BEER RELEASE PARTY: Brewmaster Roland Allen

debuts Roland’s Red Ale and offers tours of the brewery. Th, 12/13, 6pm. Free. Feather Falls Casino, 3 Alverda Dr. in Oroville; (530) 5333885; www.featherfallscasino.com.

BLUE OAK SCHOOL HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIRE: Jewelry, clothes, toys, artwork, and more gifts sold to support Blue Oak School. Th, 12/13, 1-4pm; Th, 12/20, 1-4pm. Prices vary. Blue Oak Charter School, 450 W. East Ave. Near intersection of Holly avenue and East avenue; (530) 520-0661.

THE NUTCRACKER: The Chico Community Ballet’s performance of the Christmas classic is complete with a bigger-than-life Christmas tree, marching toy soldiers and waltzing flowers. 12/13-12/15, 7:30pm; 12/15-12/16, 2pm. $16-$26. Laxson Auditorium, 400 W. First St. CSU, Chico, (530) 898-6333, www.chicoperformances.com.

Music HOLIDAY HOOPLA!: The Chico High School Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble’s holiday concert. Th, 12/13, 7pm. $7. Center for the Arts, 1475 East Ave. on the PV High Campus; (530) 891-3026 ext. 321.

OROVILLE COMMUNITY CONCERT BAND CONCERT: The concert band performs as a benefit for St. Thomas Catholic School’s music department. Wine and cheese available. Th, 12/13, 6-9pm. $10. St. Thomas Catholic School, 1380 Bird St. in Oroville; (530) 534-6969; www.stthomas-oroville.com.

Theater AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY: Rogue Theatre presents the dark side of the Midwestern family with Tracy Letts’ Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prizewinning play. Th-Sa, 7:30pm through 12/15. Bonus shows: Th & F, 7:30pm, 12/20 & 12/21. $10. South Side Playhouse, 2145 Park Ave. 13.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: The stage rendition of Charles Dickens’ classic story of Scrooge and his paranormal encounters. Th-Sa, 7:30pm; Su, 2pm through 12/16. $12-$20. Chico Theater Company, 166 Eaton Rd. Ste. F, (530) 894-3282, www.chicotheatercompany.com.

VOOM VOOM VARIETY SHOW Friday, Dec. 14 Chico Women’s Club

SEE FRIDAY, SPECIAL EVENTS

FINE ARTS THE LITTLE MERMAID, JR.: California Regional Theater’s kids present the story of a beautiful young mermaid, Ariel, who longs for the world above. F, 12/14, 7pm. $5. Center for the Arts, 1475 East Ave. on the PV High Campus; (800) 722-4522.

LITTLE WOMEN THE MUSICAL: See Thursday. Birdcage Theatre, 1740 Bird St. in Oroville, (530) 533-2473, www.birdcagetheatre.net.

SAT

Special Events BIZARRE BAZAAR: The fashionably eccentric ladies of Chikoko host their annual bazaar with 40 local artists, jewelry, accessories, clothing, ceramics, utilitarian art and recycled, eco-friendly wares. Sa, 12/15, 10am-5pm; Su, 12/16, 10am-5pm. Prices vary. Chico Women’s Club, 592 E. Third St., (530) 894-1978.

DEAD WINTER CARPENTERS Friday, Dec. 14 Lost on Main

SEE FRIDAY, MUSIC

BLUE ROOM CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR: Featuring EXPERIENCE THE SEASON: The North State Symphony’s traditional Christmas concert features selections from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and other Christmas works. F, 12/14, 7:30pm. $30. St John Catholic Church, 435 Chestnut St, Chico; (530) 898-5984.

GROUP HUG TOUR: Oakland rapper Kreayshawn LITTLE WOMEN THE MUSICAL: A musical adaption of Louisa May Alcott’s classic tale of the March sisters. Th-Sa, 7:30pm; Su, 2pm through 12/16. $7-$15. Birdcage Theatre, 1740 Bird St. in Oroville, (530) 533-2473, www.birdcage theatre.net.

FRI

Special Events THE NUTCRACKER: See Thursday. Laxson Auditorium, 400 W. First St. CSU, Chico, (530) 898-6333, www.chicoperformances.com.

VOOM VOOM VARIETY SHOW: The kickoff event for Chikoko’s Bizarre Bazaar is a showcase of local talent of every variety imaginable, with each performer getting five minutes in the spotlight. F, 12/14, 6pm. $5. Chico Women’s Club, 592 E. Third St.; (530) 894-1978.

went all viral with her song “Gucci Gucci.” Rye Rye, Honey Cocaine and Chippy Nonstop open. F, 12/14, 8pm. $17.50. Senator Theatre, 517 Main St.; (530) 898-1497; www.jmaxproductions.net.

Theater AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY: See Thursday. South Side Playhouse, 2145 Park Ave. 13.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: See Thursday. Chico Theater Company, 166 Eaton Rd. Ste. F, (530) 894-3282, www.chicotheatercompany.com.

new holiday songs by Loki Miller, a holiday skit and stories accompanied by a community choir. Sa, 12/15, 7:30pm. $20-$25. Blue Room Theatre, 139 W First St.; (530) 895-3749; www.blueroomtheatre.com.

COOKIES & PHOTOS WITH SANTA: Santa makes a special appearance at the nursery. Call for more info. Sa, 12/15, 3-5pm. Free. Little Red Hen Plant Nursery, 189 E. Eighth St.; (530) 8919100.

THE NUTCRACKER: See Thursday. Laxson Auditorium, 400 W. First St. CSU, Chico, (530) 898-6333, www.chicoperformances.com.

PILOT CAREER DAY: Military, commercial, agricultural and rescue pilots will discuss their careers and offer advice to aspiring aviators. Sa, 12/15, 12-4pm. $3-$6. Gateway Science Museum, 625 Esplanade; (530) 898-4121; www.csuchico.edu/gateway.

Art 1078 GALLERY: Stories 1 Exhibition, the 1078’s annual December group show showcases five artists with strong ties to Chico. Through 1/5, 2013. 820 Broadway, (530) 3431973, www.1078gallery.org.

ANGELOS CUCINA TRINACRIA: Maria Phillips

Exhibition, large, other-worldly watermedia paintings on display. Ongoing. 407 Walnut St., (530) 899-9996.

SALLY DIMAS ART GALLERY: Home for the

Holidays, ornaments, gifts, jewelry and art on display. Through 12/31. 493 East Ave. #1, (530) 345-3063.

THE TURNER PRINT MUSEUM AT CSU: Issues:

Social, Political, Gender, prints exploring a range of issues from English political satire to American social realism. Through 12/16. 400 W. First St. Meriam Library breezeway, CSU, Chico, (530) 898-4476, www.theturner.org.

AVENUE 9 GALLERY: Reflections, Refractions &

UPPER CRUST BAKERY & EATERY: Esteban

CHICO ART CENTER: Gallery Collective, featur-

Call for Artists

Reveries, paintings by Dolores Mitchell and art glass by Claudia Schwartz. Reception F, 12/7, 5pm. Through 1/12, 2013. 180 E. Ninth Ave., (530) 879-1821, www.avenue9gallery.com.

ing members and local artists showcasing their artwork for the holidays. Through 1/4, 2013. 450 Orange St. 6, (530) 895-8726, www.chicoartcenter.com.

CHICO CITY MUNICIPAL CENTER: Works by

Claudia Steel, an exhibition of etchings,

serigraphs, watercolors and oils. Through 1/11, 2013. 411 Main St. City Hall, (530) 8967200.

CHICO CREEK NATURE CENTER: Banding by Day and Night, a close look at birds in hand with incredible detail. Ongoing. 1968 E. Eighth St., (530) 891-4671, www.bidwellpark.org.

CHICO MUSEUM: I Heart Chico, paintings, poetry, kid’s art, photography, textiles, videos and interactive collaborative exhibits inspired by Chico. Through 1/31, 2013. 141 Salem St., (530) 891-4336.

JAMES SNIDLE FINE ARTS AND APPRAISALS:

Estates Show, over 100 paintings, prints and drawings by Picasso, Chagall, Renoir, Whistler, Dali, Ayres, Hornaday, DeHoff and more. Through 12/28. Free. 254 E. Fourth St., (530) 343-2930, www.james snidlefinearts.com.

Ismael Duran Exhibition, mixed media constructions, sculpture and tin work. Through 12/31. 130 Main St., (530) 895-3866.

2013 ART FIESTA BOOTHS: Artist booths are still available for next spring’s event. Call or email for more info. Through 4/1, 2013. Matador Motel, 1934 Esplanade, (530) 4874553.

GREEN ARTS COMPETITION: Mixed-media artwork that answers the question “What does it mean to be green?” Top finalists will have their work published on the Associated Students homepage. Ongoing. CSU Chico, 400 West First Street, Yolo Hall Room 178, (530) 898-6677.

Museums GATEWAY SCIENCE MUSEUM: Fall Exhibits, three exhibits running through the fall semester including “Take Flight,” “Gold Fever: The Untold Stories of the California Gold Rush” and “Third Views, Second Sights: A Rephotographic Survey of the American West.” Through 12/31. $3-$6. 625 Esplanade, www.csuchico.edu/gateway.

GOLD NUGGET MUSEUM: Veterans Day Exhibit, A display honoring those who serve.

Ongoing. 502 Pearson Rd. in Paradise, (530) 872-8722, www.goldnuggetmuseum.com.

MANAS ART SPACE & GALLERY: Everything

Music SCHOOL OF ROCK CHRISTMAS PARTY: Student performances, instrument giveaways and a performance by Chico’s holiday rockers, The Yule Logs. Sa, 12/15, 1-5pm. Chico School of Rock, 932 E. Eighth Ave. A; (530) 894-2526.

Green Show, Green is the theme for the latest MANAS all-medium open-entry show. Through 1/11, 2013. 1441 C Park Ave., (530) 588-5183.

Theater AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY: See Thursday. South Side Playhouse, 2145 Park Ave. 13.

Art Receptions ART RECEPTION, WITH CIDER: A reception for work by Juanita Arnold, with cider and cookies provided. F, 12/14, 5:30-7pm. Free. Chico Sports Club, 260 Cohasset Rd.; (530) 518-1994; www.chicosportsclub.com.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: See Thursday. Chico Theater Company, 166 Eaton Rd. Ste. F, (530) 894-3282, www.chicotheatercompany.com.

LITTLE WOMEN THE MUSICAL: See Thursday. Birdcage Theatre, 1740 Bird St. in Oroville, (530) 533-2473, www.birdcagetheatre.net.

Music

Experience the sound

DEAD WINTER CARPENTERS: The up-and-coming Americana/rock outfit from Tahoe makes another Chico appearance. Good Gravy and Low Flying Birds open. F, 12/14, 9pm. $8-$10. Lost on Main, 319 Main St., (530) 891-1853.

NEW WORKS BY ESTEBAN DURAN Showing through Dec. Upper Crust Bakery

FREE LISTINGS! Post your event for free online at www.newsreview.com/calendar. Once posted, your CN&R calendar listing will also be considered for print. Print listings are also free, but subject to space limitations. Deadline for print listings is one week prior to the issue in which you wish the listing to appear.

SEE FINE ARTS

THIS WEEK continued on page 28

The biggest crime of much of the unavoidable Christmas music we are subjected to throughout December is that it’s not even the good stuff. Thankfully, the North State Symphony has our backs with a killer program of holiday music that doesn’t make you want to sock someone in the corncob pipe. Accompanied by the vocal duet of soprano Dara Scholz EDITOR’S PICK and mezzo soprano Molly Mahoney, the symphony’s chamber orchestra will perform various baroque and classical pieces, including selections from Handel’s Messiah as well as the works of Vivaldi, Brahms and more. Experience the Season kicks off with a performance this Friday, Dec. 14, at St. John’s Catholic Church (followed by shows in Red Bluff and Redding over the weekend). See Friday, Music, for more info.

—JASON CASSIDY

December 13, 2012

CN&R 27

GREAT PIZZA DESERVES GREAT BEER!

THIS WEEK continued from page 27

BULLETIN BOARD

SUN

Special Events

NOW ON TAP

BIZARRE BAZAAR: See Saturday. Chico Women’s

2.85 PINT $ 9.10 PITCHER $

Club, 592 E. Third St., (530) 894-1978.

JACK FROST 10K: A 10K run beginning and ending

964 Mangrove Ave

2027 Forest Ave

2201 Pillsbury Rd

343-4254

342-7265

891-1200

in Cedar Grove. Bring a new and unwrapped toy on top of registration fee. Su, 12/16, 8am. $15-$20. Cedar Grove, Lower Bidwell Park; (530) 879-9000; www.fleetfeetchico.com/ races/jack-frost-10k.

THE NUTCRACKER: See Thursday. Laxson Auditorium, 400 W. First St. CSU, Chico, (530) 898-6333, www.chicoperformances.com.

Have a Gordo Breakfast! Chilaquites Plate

.00

Served with rice, beans, onions, tomatos & salsa

Breakfast Burrito $3.75 Beef | Ham | Bacon | Chorizo Chicken | Veggie

Wine Tasting 1295 E. 8th St. • (530) 809–1211

Last Thursday of the Month

Theater A CHRISTMAS CAROL: See Thursday. Chico Theater Company, 166 Eaton Rd. Ste. F, (530) 894-3282, www.chicotheatercompany.com.

LITTLE WOMEN THE MUSICAL: See Thursday. Birdcage Theatre, 1740 Bird St. in Oroville, (530) 533-2473, www.birdcagetheatre.net.

YOUNG COMPANY HOLIDAY SHOW: A light-hearted romp through some of musical theater’s classic love songs performed by the Blue Room’s Young Company. Su, 12/16, 2 & 7pm. $5-$7. Blue Room Theatre, 139 W First St.; (530) 895-3749; www.blueroomtheatre.com.

MON

Special Events CHRISTMAS LIGHT TOUR: A festive mini-bus tour of lights in Chico with carol-singing, hot cocoa and cookies. Go online to register and for meeting info. M, 12/17, 4-9pm. $22. Contact for info, see listing in; http://tinyurl.com/ bkwz5qd.

Poetry/Literature WORD PLAY: A night of poetry, readings, comedy and song. M, 12/17, 7pm. Cafe Flo, 365 E. Sixth St.; (530) 514-8888; www.liveatflo.weebly.com.

CHAPMAN FARMERS MARKET: A farmers’ market in the park serving as a neighborhood collaborative forum focusing on healthy lifestyle promotion, education and access. F, 2-5:30pm through 12/31. Free. Dorothy Johnson Center, 775 E. 16th St., (530) 592-0889, www.cchaos.org.

CHICO FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY BOOK SALE: Chico Friends of the Library weekly book sale. Sa, 9:15-11:30am. Butte County Library, Chico Branch, 1108 Sherman Ave., (530) 891-2762, www.buttecounty.net/bclibrary.

CHICO POLICE COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD: Monthly meeting hosted by the Chico Police Chief to discuss community issues. Third W of every month, 5:30-7pm. Seventh Day Adventist Church, 1877 Hooker Oak Ave., (530) 342-7777.

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT: Beginners will be paired with experienced birders to count birds in a designated area. Bring warm clothes, binoculars and lunch. Sa, 12/15, 7:30am. Chico Creek Nature Center, 1968 E. Eighth St., (530) 228-0625, www.bidwell park.org.

DANCE SANCTUARY WAVE: Bring a water bottle, drop your mind, free your feet and your spirit. Call for directions. Tu, 6:30-8:30pm. $10. Call for details, 891-6524.

honey, fruits and veggies, crafts and more.

Sa, 7:30am-1pm. Chico Certified Saturday

Farmers Market, Municipal Parking Lot, (530) 893-3276.

FREE HEALTH CLINIC: Free services for minor

medical ailments. Call for more info. Su, 14pm. Free. Shalom Free Clinic, 1190 E. First Ave. Corner of Downing and E. 1st Ave, (530) 518-8300, www.shalomfreeclinic.org.

KNITTING CIRCLE: Knitting kits available for purchase. Sa, 2-4pm through 12/22. Free. 100th Monkey Books & Cafe, 642 West Fifth St.

Wine supplied by Grocery Outlet – Chico

LEGAL SERVICES OPEN HOUSE: Appetizers, drink and desserts. F, 12/14, 4-6pm. Free. Legal Services of Northern California, 541 Normal Ave., (530) 345-9491.

Join us for our Holiday Tasting of Sparkling Wine, Champagne & Holiday Cheer!

LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM SHOWING: A docu-

THE NUTCRACKER

Thursday-Sunday, Dec. 13-16 Laxson Auditorium SEE THURSDAY-SATURDAY, SPECIAL EVENTS

for more Music, see NIGHTLIFE on page 38 28 CN&R December 13, 2012

Brazil and West Africa with live drumming. Tu, 5:30pm. Chico Women’s Club, 592 E. Third St., (530) 345-6324.

FARMERS MARKET - SATURDAY: Baked goods,

$5 per person

homeless families from crisis to self-sufficiency.

AFRO CARIBBEAN DANCE: Dances of Cuba, Haiti,

tive and uplifting group dances honoring many of the world’s spiritual traditions. Third Sa of every month, 7-9:30pm. $5-$10 donation. Subud Hall, 574 E. 12th St., (530) 891-8789.

968 East Ave (next to Quackers)

100+ children living at Esplanade House, which moves

Community

DANCES OF UNIVERSAL PEACE: Simple, medita-

Thursday, December 27 | 5–7pm The Crystal Room

Esplanade House Children’s Fund supports the

WILD FOR WINTER

mentary following three men of different faiths in Israel and Palestine. Th, 12/13, 7-9pm. Free. Chico Friends Meetinghouse, 1601 Hemlock St. Corner of 16th and Hemlock, (530) 345-3753.

MONCA MASK-MAKING: A mask-making workshop to support the Museum of Northern California Art. Th, 12/13, 5:30-8:30pm. Katies Corner, 247 Main St. Corner of 3th Street, (530) 891-4304.

Today, Dec. 13 Chico Creek Nature Center SEE COMMUNITY

PARADISE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY BOOK SALE:

Used book sale. Every other Sa, 10am-3pm. Prices vary. Butte County Library, Paradise Branch, 5922 Clark Rd. in Paradise, (530) 8726320, www.buttecounty.net/bclibrary/ Paradise.htm.

SAMARITAN FREE CLINIC: This clinic offers free basic medical care and mental health counseling. Call for more information. Su, 2-4pm. Free. Paradise Lutheran Church, 780 Luther Dr. Next to Long’s Drugstore in Paradise, 8727085.

SOUL SHAKE DANCE CHURCH: Drop your mind, find your feet and free you spirit at this DJ dance wave to a range of musical styles. No previous dance experience necessary. Su, 10am-noon. $8-$15 sliding scale. Dorothy Johnson Center, 775 E. 16th St., (530) 891-6524.

WILD FOR WINTER!: A class for preschool-aged children covering how animals adapt to winter including a walk through Bidwell Park, craft-making and an animal guest. A parent or guardian must attend; call to register. Th, 12/13, 10-11am. $12. Chico Creek Nature Center, 1968 E. Eighth St., (530) 891-4671, www.bidwellpark.org.

WILDLIFE VIEWING: Guided wildlife tours. Rain

cancels. Sa, 10am through 2/3; Su, 1pm through 2/3. $4. Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, 3207 Rutherford Rd. in Gridley, (530) 846-7505.

WRITING GROUP: All writers welcome. Bring

paper, a pen and writing to share. F, 3:305pm. Free. 100th Monkey Books & Cafe, 642 West Fifth St.

Volunteer BIDWELL PARK VOLUNTEERS: Help the park by volunteering for trash pick-up, invasive plant removal, trail maintenance, site restoration, water quality testing and more. Ongoing; check Friends of Bidwell Park web site for dates and locations. Ongoing. Call for location, (530) 891-4671, www.friendsofbidwellpark.org.

PATRICK RANCH VOLUNTEERS: There are multiple volunteer opportunities available at the museum, including help with Autumnfest 2012 and the annual Christmas celebration. Call or email for more info. Ongoing. Patrick Ranch Museum, 10381 Midway, Chico Halfway between Chico and Durham, (530) 345-3559.

VOLUNTEER GIFT WRAPPING: Shifts are two

hours. Call for more info. F, 12/14, 2-6pm; Sa, 12/15, 10am-6pm; Su, 12/16, 11am-4pm; M, 12/24, 10am-2pm. ARCoffee Loft in the ARC Store in Oroville, 2745 Oro Dam Blvd. Corner of Oro Dam Blvd and Gilmore Lane in Oroville, (530) 891-5865 ext. 205.

MORE ONLINE Additional listings for local meetings, support groups, classes, yoga, meditation and more can be found online at www.newsreview.com/chico/local/calendar.

Shop

L OCAL

Cupcakes?! Yes Please!

Gift Guide

Just in time for your holiday parties, we are now taking your holiday cupcake orders! Voted one of Chico’s Best Places to Satisfy your Sweet Tooth, we offer delectable, made from scratch cupcakes daily at our shop! Be the hit of your holiday party and show up with cupcakes from the Cupcake Crusader! Order early, order often!!

CupCAke CrusAder

752 East Avenue • Chico (530) 899-1100 www.thecupcakecrusader.com

The Gift that Keeps Giving All Year Agua Azul Oasis offers a Rewards Program that has 3 levels: Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Your special someone will receive free gift certificates, massage, pedicure or manicure, hair cut, and special gifts on birthdays and anniversaries. depending on the level you have choosen, you pay $99, $195, and $295. it’s the gift that keeps giving all year long!

For the Lady who is Classy, but wants to be a little Sassy! A women’s clothing and accessory store offering fashionably unique clothes at affordable prices. Beautiful dresses, semi-formal and casual wear ranging in sizes petite to 18. unique handbags, gift ideas and jewelry are all available. Stop in and visit Tuesday–Friday 10:30am–5:30pm and Saturday 10:30am–3:30pm.

AGuA AzuL OAsis

sAssy & C CLAssy BOutique

40 Declaration Dr. Suite 100, Chico • (530) 345–0226 Facebook.com/aguaazuloasis • www.a2oasis.com

Mangrove Square Shopping Plaza (Across from Big 5) (530) 899-8312

90 MPG! The KYMCO Agility 50 is a quality built entry level scooter that is unmatched in the industry. With a smooth, quiet 4-stroke 49 cc engine, front disc brake, low seat height and short wheelbase the Agility 50 creates a riding experience suited for everyone. Check out the convertible buddy seat that doubles as a rider backrest when flipped into the up position. The Agility 50 is a compact, nimble little scooter with plenty of underseat storage that would make an excellent addition to any garage. MSRP $1,49900.

ChiCO MOtOrspOrts

1538 Park Ave. Chico • (530) 345-5247 chicomotorsports.com

SPA TREATMENT PACKAGE

Float your stress away...

Renew’s unique Floatation Sensory deprivation Chamber makes this Spa Package unlike any GiF T other in the North Valley. Floatation Therapy is Ce RTi FiC AT e a luxurious escape into a private, light and sound free environment, in which you will enjoy deep relaxation and healing. This is the only Flotation Chamber in Chico. $99 package. Choose 3 – Floatation, Facial, Massage, Pedicure/Manicure. $149 package Couples. Choose 3 – Floatation, Facial, Couples Massage, Pedicure/Manicure. in addition you will also receive blow dry & style from The Cutting Room Salon located next to Renew.

renew

1030 Village Lane, Suite 190 • Chico (at In Motion Fitness) • (530) 588-7383 Open every day 8am-8pm • www.renewfloatspa.com

Tasty Gift Ideas Voted Chico’s Best Asian Cuisine, Best Take-Out and Oroville’s Best Restaurant, Tong Fong Low offers a delicious dining experience. Stuff your loved ones holiday stockings with Gift Certificates for this popular, locally owned and operated restaurant. Tong Fong Low wishes everyone good health and happy dining! Catering available.

tOnG fOnG LOw

2075 East 20th St, Suite 100 Chico • (530) 898-1388 2051 Robinson Ave • Oroville (530) 533-1488

A Taste of Brilliance This gorgeous pendant has a 1.54 ct. Tanzanite stone with .60 ct. tw. diamond, and 14 kt. White Gold. A gift that will be enjoyed for generations. Suggest price is $2,995. Olde Gold carries both unusual and unique jewelry and timepieces. in addition to estate jewelry they provide manufacturing in both lost wax and hand fabrication, and an excellent jewelry repair department which includes on site laser repair. An on staff gemologist is trained in jewelry appraisal and gem identification. Come in and talk with jewelers who follow in the Olde World Style of excellence and craftsmanship.

OLde GOL GOLd JeweLry

225 Main St. • Garden Walk Mall • Downtown Chico (530) 891–4610 • www.oldegold.com

CN&R’s Gift Guide — A speCiAl AdveRtisiNG seCtioN December 13, 2012

CN&R 29

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L OCAL ideAS

Electric Bicycles

Gift

Are changing the way people move. The new hybrid electric bikes are: stylish, affordable, functional, eco-friendly and best of all FuN. Transportation speeds up to 20 mph. 25-30 miles per charge. Quick recharge times 4-6 hours. No licensing or registration fees. no interest financing. To demo the full range of styles and models visit your hybrid electric bicycle dealer...

Record Your Adventure GoPro produces arguably the most versatile cameras in the world, the famous Hd HeRO® line of wearable and gear-mountable cameras and accessories. We dream. We have passionate ideas about what’s possible in this world. Our passions lead us to create experiences and realities that expand our world and inspire those around us. GoPro helps people capture and share their lives’ most meaningful experiences with others to celebrate them together. Get the Go Pro Black & Silver packages at Chico Sports LTd

spOrts Ltd.

698 Mangrove Ave • Chico (530) 894–1110 • ChicoSportsLtd.net

red MOuntAin Green CyCLe 455 E. 20th St. (20th & Mullberry) Chico • (530) 899–7270 redmountaingreencycyle.com

LaRocca Wine Tasting Room – Now Open in Downtown Holiday cheers from our family to yours! Local organic wines, perfect for your holiday table and a unique gift idea. The oldest winery in the North State is proud to showcase our award winning wines and Champagne at our new tasting room in downtown Chico. Come in, sample and learn about our local appellation and the quality estate-bottled wines that we grow and produce locally.

LArOCCA VineyArds tAstinG rOOM 222 W. 2nd Street • Chico Open Wed – Fri 1:30 – 8pm Saturdays 12 – 8pm & Sundays 1:30-6pm

California Sunshine in a Bottle Share the rich, golden elegance of the AWARd WiNNiNG Butte View olive oils. Pure, light and delicate – experience the wonderful aromas and distinctive accents that make each hand crafted oil truly unique and excellent. 250ml/500ml. Available in Chico at Maisie Jane’s, Made in Chico, S&S Produce, in Oroville at Collins & denny Market & Wagon Wheel Market and in Paradise at Noble Orchard.

Butte View OLiVe COMpAny

2950 Louis Ave. • Oroville, CA (530) 534-8320 • www.butteview.com

Relax...Relax...Relax... After you’ve worn yourself ragged holiday shopping wouldn’t it be nice to relax...relax...relax...in your Perfection Pools Hot Tub! Caldera Spas pays a great deal of attention to the styling for just that reason. Caldera Spas’ elegant, organic style delights your senses with flowing lines, sculpted jet recesses, ergonomic controls, beautiful lighting and soothing sounds. Stop by Perfection Pools today, mention this ad, and receive a free $500 accessories package.

perfeCtiOn pOOLs & spAs

172 E. 20th St. Chico • (530) 895-0437 perfectionpoolsandspas.com

Enjoy a True Chico Tradition Shubert’s Homemade ice Cream & Candy has been a Chico tradition for over 75 years! Homemade Boxed Chocolates, Peanut Brittle, english Toffee and divinity are just a few treats our families have come to look forward to during the holidays. Pre-order Snowballs now! The perfect holiday dessert! don’t forget your Shubert’s Mints this season! No holiday celebration would be complete without them!

shuBert’s iCe CreAM & CAndy 178 East 7th Street • Chico (530) 342-7163 • www.shuberts.com

Shop Inside the “Jewelry Box” today for One of a Kind Gifts by Local Artisans • • • • •

Gold jewelry celebrating natural texture. Silver adorned with Gems. Pearls for every Season. Art Glass to decorate your holiday home. Select a perfect handcrafted gift for each special person on your list. • Shop Online 24/7.

AiCOrAGeMs“JeweLry BOx” GALLery

1334 Mangrove Ave. • Chico (530) 809-1034 • www.chicojewelrybox.com Open for Holiday Shopping everyday 10-7.

CN&R’s Gift Guide — A speCiAl AdveRtisiNG seCtioN 30 CN&R December 13, 2012

NEWS & REVIEW BUSINESS USE ONLY

PLEASE CAREFULLY REVIEW YOUR ADVERTISE-

Wire Wrapped Jewelry Wire wrapped jewelry by local artists are reasonably priced holiday gifts. You’ll find beautiful stones like Mexican Lace, Tiger eye, Aqua Aura and more starting at just $30. if you haven’t stopped in Lotus Flower imports you’re in for a treat. They’re located across from Chico Natural Foods between 8th & 9th Streets on Main in downtown Chico. Besides wire wrapped jewelry you’ll find gifts that no other store in Chico carry, like wooden Quan Yen, tumbled stones, crystals, mas massage wands, sage and much more.

Travel to Tuscany with Mooney Farms The beautiful Tuscan style company store is open Monday through Friday from 10am-4pm. every Wednesday during the holiday season, enjoy samples of Bella Sun Luci italian favorites including their award-winning Bella Sun Luci Arbequina extra Virgin Olive Oil and Sun dried Tomato line. Gift baskets are available to purchase or create your own unique design. Shipping is available.

LOtus fLOwer iMpOrts

839 Main St. • Downtown Chico (530) 345–6783

MOOney fArMs Dinner for Two

1220 Fortress Street • Chico 95973 (530) 889-2661 www.MooneyFarms.com Holiday hours Mon-Fri 10am to 4pm

Give the “Gift of Pleasure”... Treating your friends, loved ones or employees to a Tui Ná massage at Wendy’s Massage is the ultimate expression of how much they mean to you! Wendy’s ambiance is the perfect place for them to relax, refresh and rejuvenate—a time when all their bodily tensions will melt away. Wendy’s gift cards are wonderful for Birthdays, Holidays and Anniversaries... the perfect way to say— “You’re Special to Me!”

Become a Laird or a Lady No more boring Mr. or Mrs. Now you can demand proper respect as a Laird or Lady. Home ec also carries “Name a Star”, “Adopt a Meerkat”, and “Adopt a Reindeer” kits. Visit Home ec in downtown Chico to explore their selection of smartly designed homewares, modern home decor, and other random awesomeness. Gift certificates and complimentary gift wrapping available.

wendy’s MAssAGe

1351 Mangrove Ave • Chico (530) 342–2222 www.WendysMassageChico.com

Flavorful Holiday gifts

eet h str s

5t akhou

Ste

hOMe eC

231 Main St • Chico (530) 343–5686

Want to share 5th Street Steakhouse with a friend or family member? Gift cards make it simple. Great for the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and company parties. 5th Street Steakhouse food tastes great on any occasion!

5th street steAkhOuse

ard ift C

345 West 5th St. • (530) 891-6328 5thstreetsteakhouse.com

Bacio Gift Cards! Give the gift of a lunch or weeknight dinner, or hot soup on a cold day or any number of healthy, delicious foods from Bacio Carry-Out. Their re-loadable gift cards are the perfect gift for all of your foodie friends, new parents, busy families and anyone you know who loves to eat well. Local, seasonal, delicious!

BACiO CAterinG & CArry-Out

1903 Park Ave • Chico (530) 345–7787 • www.baciocatering.com Monday- Friday 11:00 - 7:00

Give the Gift Everyone Loves... A gift certificate from Tres Hombres. Choose any denomination, get a gift card, and your holiday shopping for friends & co-workers is complete. Choose from a large selection of “The BeST Margaritas in Chico” or try one (or two) of over 125 premium tequilas. enjoy outdoor dining even on those crisp winter days in the comfortably heated sidewalk seating. Or come sit inside and dine at a table, the taco bar, or the longbar. You’ll find Tres Hombres conveniently locate next to the university. Next time you’re making plans to gather just say “Meet me at Tres.”

tres hOMBres

100 Broadway • Chico (530) 342-0425

CN&R’s Gift Guide — A speCiAl AdveRtisiNG seCtioN December 13, 2012

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Holiday Gifts & Decor to Treasure!

Gift

Christian & Johnson Floral and Gifts is celebrating over a century of gorgeous Holidays! Stop by and browse through their winter wonderland of unique gifts, lovely seasonal décor, fresh flowers and plants. don’t forget the complimentary gift wrapping. Friendly and experienced designers will be happy to help make your gift-giving beautiful, and your Season memorable! Since 1907, C&J has been making the Holidays bright in Chico!

ChristiAn & JOhnsOn

Chico’s Own Locally Grown Wines. The Perfect Holiday Gift. Bertagna Son Kissed Vineyards grows only the highest-quality, organic grapes. Meticulous farming in the field and high attention to detail in the winery produces a higher quality product. The wine can be purchased at Chico Natural Foods, S&S Produce, Chico Costco, Raley’s, Safeway, Maisie Jane’s, J&J Cellars, The Olive Pitt, CA Kitchen in Red Bluff and Wagon Wheel Market to list a few. Please see our website for a complete listing. exclusive wines & Tastings available by appointment.

BertAGnA sOn kissed VineyArd

3363 Hegan Lane • Chico • (530) 343-8014 www.BertagnaWine.com

Give the Gift that Keeps on Giving! urban Laundry & urban Sole is YOUR EXCLUSIVE CHICO RETAILER your exclusive Chico retailer for TOMS. Toms is a company that will match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need, One for One. urban Laundry & urban Sole stock Men’s, Women’s and Kids…hundreds of styles to choose from!! Stop by and check them out. Happy Holidays!

250 Vallombrosa Avenue #100 Chico, CA 95926 • (530) 891-1881 www.ChristianAndJohnson.com

For the Bike Commuter Yuba’s Boda Boda Cargo Cruiser elevates utility cycling to a new level of elegance and comfort. The integrated rear rack and love handles make it easy to pick up a friend, a flat of strawberries, or power tools. Natural accents, such as cork grips, bamboo back decks and optional running boards insure that this bike will turn heads as you spin around town. The Yuba Boda Boda Cargo Cruiser is available only at Pullins Cyclery, providing cyclists with everything they need and expert service since 1918. Pullins Cyclery has been voted Best Bike Shop by CN&R readers seventeen times.

puLLins CyCLery

801 Main St. • Chico • (530) 342-1055 www.pullinschico.com

RD A C T GIF

urBAn LAundry/urBAn sOLe 222 Main St • Chico • (530) 345–2444 228 Main St • Chico • (530) 809–1553 UrbanLaundry.com • UrbanSole.co

You Will Make Someone Very Happy...

OMG... You will be quite the hero when you place a ruby ring under the Christmas tree this year! Kirk’s Jewelry specializes in custom design one of a kind pieces, and will work with you from start to finish, creating your own unique heirloom piece. Stunning rubys, exquisite diamonds, excellent craftsmanship, and handcrafted designs are the hallmarks of Kirk’s Jewelry, downtown Chico’s longest established jewelry store. Since 1973, Kirk’s Jewelry offers the widest selection of loose diamonds and diamond jewelry. From the simplest to the most ornate...your jewelry is handcrafted with precision and pride. Making dreams come true for over 35 years.

kirk’s JeweLry

246 W. 3rd Street • Downtown Chico (530) 891-0880 • kirksjewelry.com

CAKE fancy kitchen papers. The collection will inspire you to create a festive holiday table setting or gift to that friend that loves to entertain. Placemats, coasters and serving papers make the perfect gift. BiG store has other great items for those on your shopping list. Stop by and say hi.

kuseL’s BiG stOre

1955 Montgomery St. • Oroville (530) 693-4030

CN&R’s Gift Guide — A speCiAl AdveRtisiNG seCtioN 32 CN&R December 13, 2012

When you treat them to lovely evening at Red Tavern. A gift certificate is an easy way to show someone how much they mean to you. Your thoughtful gift will let them enjoy a relaxing night of great food that only the Red Tavern can provide. if you are planning the company holiday party or the annual family get together you can’t go wrong by letting the Red Tavern take care of all the details. Red Tavern also provides the perfect place to get away from the hectic Holiday rush.

red tAVern

1250 Esplanade • Chico (530) 894–3463 www.redtavern.com

The Perfect Place to Relax and be Pampered Chico’s newest day spa has opened just in time for the Holidays! Sweetwater day Spa is offering a special Holiday Spa Package from now until december 31st. The package includes: • Signature Spa Facial • Relaxation Massage • Spa Pedicure all for just $129! Gift Certificates are also available, gift wrapped and ready for giving! Check out the website for a list of additional services and products available for men and women and to take a photo tour of the spa.

sweetwAter dAy spA

1031 Village Lane • Chico (530) 894-7722 (spaa) • www.sweetwaterchico.com

Brew Your Own Right At Home The Chico Home Brew Shop is the place to go for all of your brewing and winemaking needs. We carry beer and wine makers equipment, ingredients, books, soda extract, cheese making ingredients, bottles, caps, corks, spouts, growlers, labels and much more. We are happy to answer any questions you may have too! Come by today! Open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm.

the ChiCO hOMe Brew shOp

1570 Nord Ave. • Chico • (530) 342-3768

A-2R Bertucci DX3 Field™ Unisex Watch Classic & contemporary styling, unmatched performance and value. The series brings classic styling to a rugged poly-resin case that offers a long list of performance features. These include: precision all-metal Japan made movement, scratch resistent glass crystal, durable design case, stainless steel case back, Swiss luminous hands and light-weight comfort. The nylon band features matte stainless steel hardware, wide wrist adjustment range and military specification nylon weave.

MOuntAin spOrts

176 E. 3rd Street • Downtown Chico (530) 345-5011 • Open Daily www.ChicoMountainSports.com

Give the Gift of Great Food! A Rawbar gift card is the perfect gift for the holidays. it also makes a great stocking stuffer! Get a FRee $15 card with $100 gift card purchase. The Rawbar serves much more than just great sushi, including appetizers, soups & salads, rice bowls, and tempura. They offer a wide variety of hot appetizers and cold platters available for catering and that holiday party you’re hosting or attending. Gift cards are offered in many denominations, so stop in today, have lunch or dinner, and cross off a few names on your list!

UGGS – Popular Gift for Everyone! At diamond W Western Wear, you’ll find the largest selection of genuine uGGS for Ladies, Men, and Kids! uGG Australia uses the world’s finest quality sheepskin, making it the most comfortable footwear with unbeatable quality. As an authorized dealer, we offer full line of genuine uGGS, GGS, as well as the care-products, and can even special order your favorite pair just in time for Christmas! in addition, diamond W Western Wear offers Northern California’s largest selection of BOOTS for the entire family. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will take the time to size you correctly and assure your 100% satisfaction. Visit us today and experience Full Service with the “Lowest Prices Guaranteed”. Locally owned for 34 years.

diAMOnd w western weAr and Pat’s Shoe & Boot Repair 181 E 2nd Street • Downtown Chico Open Every Day • (530) 891-1650

Grandparents’ Holiday Special Andy’s embroidery has put together the perfect gift package for the Grandparents: Select any one image to personalize two coffee mugs printed on both sides, one mouse pad and two photo key chains. These items can also be purchased individually. Andy’s embroidery is family owned and operated, celebrating 24 years in business.

Andy’s eMBrOidery

820 Wall Street • Chico (530) 893-3316 www.andysembroidery.com

Wrapped with Lace and Love At Three Sixty ecotique you are sure to find a unique gift that you can feel good about. Whether it be a vintage coat, a locally made piece of jewelry, or a pair of knee high socks made from recycled yarn. We are located next door to the Senator Theater and look forward to wrapping your present with lace and love. xoxo.

three sixty eCOtique

511 Main Street • Chico (530) 342–8752 threesixtyecotique.com Tues-Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 12-5pm

rAwBAr

346 Broadway • Chico (530) 897-0626 • www.rawbarchico.com Open Daily • Join us for Happy Hour; Mon-Fri 3pm-5pm

CN&R’s Gift Guide — A speCiAl AdveRtisiNG seCtioN December 13, 2012

CN&R 33

In session.

Performed by the

Chico Community Ballet

DEC.

13th-16th Performances:

Thurs., Fri. & Sat. at 7:30 p.m. Sat. & Sun. at 2:00 p.m. Laxson Auditorium CSU, Chico

Tickets $16-$26 available at University Box Office

898-6333

www.chicoperformances.com

SEVENTH ANNUAL CHICO’S ALTERNATIVE CRAFT FAIRE

40 + LOCAL ARTISTS RARE JEWELRY ORIGINAL CLOTHING UTILITARIAN ART TASTY TREATS MISFIT SANTAS

Once, with feeling Offbeat story about sex and disability ‘a seriocomic tour de force’ Mark O’Brien (John Hawkes) is more or less

quadriplegic, a victim of childhood polio who spends most of every day in an iron lung just to stay alive. He’s vital enough in mind and spirit to have worked his way to a degree from UC Berkeley and to have persisted in his by Catholic faith, and at age 38 he begins to Juan-Carlos wonder if he might have one genuine sexual Selznick experience before his already unexpectedly prolonged life comes to an end. He makes inquiries with his caregivers and assorted medical advisers and consults as well with his priest, the amiably indulgent Father Brendan (William H. Macy). After some false starts, he connects up with a medically The Sessions approved sex surrogate named Cheryl (Helen Ends tonight, Hunt), and the two of them get caught up in a Dec. 13. Starring brief, gentle, surprisingly intricate relationship. Helen Hunt, John Writer-director Ben Lewin has taken a magHawkes and William H. Macy. azine article by the real-life Mark O’Brien Directed by Ben (“On Seeing a Sex Surrogate”) and converted it Lewin. Pageant into a charming little seriocomic tour de force. Theatre. Rated R. Under Lewin’s direction, and with beautifully judged performances from Hawkes, Hunt and Macy, The Sessions comes alive in a variety of ways—as a quirky sort of romantic comedy; a genuinely sensitive drama on a seemingly lurid and/or queasy-making subject; a frank, calm and gently erotic sex comedy; a feel-good story Poor about the fragility of feeling good. Lewin’s screenplay is at its best when centered on O’Brien’s point-of-view, with voiceFair over narration in Hawkes’ quavery voice and some skipping around in chronology as the tale unfolds. And the drama gains some depth and breadth from the attention paid to the concerns Good of other key characters—moral dilemmas for Father Brendan and personal and professional ones for Cheryl. Very Good The tender matter-of-factness of Lewin’s approach is very appealing throughout, and especially so in the scenes with Hawkes and Hunt together. The latter pairing is crucial, but Excellent

Reviewers: Craig Blamer, Howard Hardee and Juan-Carlos Selznick.

Opening this week

Joe Wright (The Soloist, Atonement) directs the 13th film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s highly regarded novel set in 19th-century Russian high society and following the tragic story of married aristocrat Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley) and her affair with the rich Count Vronsky (Aaron TaylorJohnson). Pageant Theatre. Rated PG-13.

DECEMBER 15 –16 10AM TO 5PM CHICO WOMEN’S CLUB

34 CN&R December 13, 2012

O’Brien’s fleeting relations with women before and after Cheryl combine into a sweetly rambunctious string of subplots that might be termed “The Amorous Adventures of Mark O’Brien,” were they not so disarmingly casual. That mixture of playfulness and seriousness prevails among the supporting players as well. Even the few familiar faces—Rhea Perlman as a “Mikvah Lady” and Adam Arkin as Cheryl’s “philosopher” husband—practice understatement in their brief turns. Annika Marks as conflicted caregiver Amanda and Robin Weigert as a friendly hospital volunteer also make noteworthy impressions. Ming Lo does nicely as a semi-clueless motel clerk. The illusion-free generosity and practicality of caregiver Carmen (Jennifer Kumiyama) looms quietly in the margins of several key scenes. As such, she might be taken as the presiding representative of the multi/countercultural Berkeley to which the film pays warm if somewhat indirect tribute. Ω

Anna Karenina

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Have you heard about this one? Apparently, it’s based on some book by J.R.R. Tolkien that a lot of folks really love, about some little man—a Hobbit—named Bilbo who goes on a quest. Sounds epic, especially since this prequel to The Lord of the Rings will be part one of a three-part series of films directed by Peter Jackson. Cinemark 14, Feather River Cinemas and Paradise Cinema 7. Rated PG-13.

NEWS & REVIEW

PUBLICATION Now playing AD SIZE

Flight

Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) is, in his own words, “flying.” And it’s apparent early on that he’s right about that in more ways than one: he’s an airline pilot of unusual gifts, and he’s a spectacularly reckless consumer of drugs and alcohol as well. In the course of Flight, a heroic exploit, which is also a lethal misadventure, forces him to face up to the full consequences of who and what he has become. Skillfully scripted by John Gatins, Flight is a rousing, pungent character study, with a fine, nuanced performance from a smoldering Washington. Cinemark 14. Rated R —J.C.S.

Killing Them Softly

This may seem like a crime movie with a lot of violent action, and in point of fact it is, but only by fits and starts. For roughly two-thirds of its running time, this brash drama is mostly a matter of tangled conversations between criminals of one sort or another, each of them variously involved in the central story—the misbegotten hold-up of an underworld poker game and the efforts of a hit-man/enforcer named Jackie (played by Brad Pitt) to clean up the resulting mess. It may be neo-noir at its core, but quite a lot of it has at least one foot in something like Theatre of the Absurd. Cinemark 14. Rated R —J.C.S.

Life of Pi

Ang Lee’s film version of Yann Martel’s exuberantly post-modernist stew of a tale is a flamboyantly episodic ramble—part high-flying philosophical discourse, part epic adventure, part literary puzzle, and the giddy, convoluted life story of Piscine “Pi” Patel, its central character/narrator. The big selling point is the amazing tale Pi has to tell about losing his family in a shipwreck and yet also surviving adrift in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger from his parents’ zoo as his only companion. That part of the story, part mini-Titanic, part Robinson Crusoe, part nothing-you’ve-ever-seen-before, takes fine and duly spectacular form in Lee’s film. Cinemark 14, Feather River Cinemas and Paradise Cinema 7. Rated PG —J.C.S.

Lincoln

The new Abe Lincoln picture from Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner is an historical epic of a quality that is exceptionally rare in American movies. Kushner’s brilliant script focuses on Lincoln and his contemporaries and on the complex political maneuvering involved in getting slavery abolished, via the Thirteenth Amendment, in the first four months of the war’s final year, 1865. There’s a fresh, canny mixture of docudrama and dramatic entertainment throughout, and a wonderfully trenchant and diverse cast (especially Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role) provides vivid foreground and background alike in this unusual and complex version of Spielbergian spectacle. Cinemark 14. Rated PG-13 —J.C.S.

Playing for Keeps

Gerard Butler stars as a former star athlete fallen on hard times who, after signing on to coach a youth soccer team, has to fend off hot and smitten soccer moms. Also starring Uma Thurman, Jessica Biel, Cather-

CIN7NR_12.13

THUR 12/13

1 x 2.75

ine Zeta-Jones and Dennis Quaid. Cinemark RUN DATE 14, Feather River Cinemas and Paradise Cinema 7. Rated PG-13.

Red Dawn

A remake of the 1984 film about commies invading a rural U.S. area only to have local high-schoolers take up arms to try and fend them off. This time the commies are North Korean instead of Soviet, the rural area is Washington instead of Colorado and the lead is played by Thor instead of Patrick Swayze. Cinemark 14 and Feather River Cinemas. Rated PG-13.

Rise of the Guardians

NSTARTS AME OF FILE SENT FRIDAY

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF PRIDE & PREJUDICE AND ATONEMENT TT KEIRA KNIGHTLEY ILL JUDE LAW

ANNA KARENINA

FRIDAY & SATURDAY 5:30PM & 8:10PM SUNDAY 2:30PM & 5:30PM MONDAY-THURSDAY (12/20) 6:30PM

A 3D animated-film version of William Joyce’s The Guardians of Childhood kids’ books about a group of famous characters—Jack Frost, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman— who band together to save kids from the nightmares of the Boogeyman. Starring the voices of Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Jude Law, Chris Pine and Isla Fisher. Cinemark 14, Feather River Cinemas and Paradise Cinema 7. Rated PG.

The Sessions

Ends tonight, Dec. 13. See review this issue. Pageant Theatre. Rated R —J.C.S.

Skyfall

Skyfall’s opening sequence finds Bond (Daniel Craig) botching an attempt to recover a stolen hard drive containing megaimportant information during a stunningly awesome over-the-top chase scene. From there it’s all womanizing, day-drinking and swallowing handfuls of prescription medication before a bleary-eyed Bond is put through a series of physical and mental tasks to determine whether he is still fit for service and allowed to help track down baddie Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem). The dialogue between Bond and his latest nemesis is the most compelling aspect of the film—excluding scene in which a military helicopter crashes into a Scottish castle. Cinemark 14, Feather River Cinemas and Paradise Cinema 7. Rated PG-13 —H.H.

friday 12/14 – tuesday 12/18

A : W

ENDS TONIGHT (12/13): (6PM)

THE SESSIONS

6701 CLARK ROAD

& the Afro-Cuban Stars

872-7800

www.paradisecinema.com

ALL SHOWS PRESENTED

SHOWTIMES GOOD FRI 12/14 - TUE 12/18

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY [PG-13] IN : 11:45AM 3:05 6:30 *9:30PM IN 2D: 12:15 3:45 7:15 *9:15PM PLAYING FOR KEEPS [PG-13] LIFE

[PG]

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS [PG]

1:05 3:15 5:25 7:30 *9:35PM IN : 1:15 6:55 *9:40PM IN 2D: 4:05PM IN : 12:45 5:15 7:25PM IN 2D: 3:00PM

TWILIGHT SAGA

BREAKING DAWN PART 2

[PG-13]

SKYFALL

[PG-13]

12/13-16 Nutcracker 1/22 Clint Black Trio 1/23 Golden Dragon Acrobats 1/30 Erth’s Dinosaur Petting Zoo 2/1 Tommy Emmanuel 2/6 Cirque Mechanics 2/7 Whose Live Anyway? 2/12 Juan de Marcos 2/14 Russian National Orchestra 2/17 Eric Bibb & Habib Koité 2/20 Paco Peña: Flamenco Vivo 2/27 Calder Quartet 3/3 African Children’s Choir

12:45 3:45 6:45 *9:50PM

All shows at Laxson Auditorium CSU, Chico

1:00 3:55 6:50 *9:45PM

OPENS WEDNESDAY 12/19: M ONSTERS, INC. 3D *L AT E S H O W S O N F R I & S AT O N LY A LL S HOWS B EFORE 6PM ARE B ARGAIN M ATINEES I N D I C AT E S N O P A S S E S A C C E P T E D

TICKETS - (530) 898-6333 or CHICOPERFORMANCES.COM

FLIGHT (Digital) (R) 10:00AM 1:05PM 4:10PM 7:15PM 10:20PM HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, THE (3D) (PG-13) 10:50AM 12:30PM 2:30PM 3:25PM 4:15PM 6:10PM 8:00PM 9:50PM (10:40PM*) HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, THE (Digital) (PG-13) 10:00AM 11:45AM 1:45PM 5:30PM 7:05PM 9:15PM KILLING THEM SOFTLY (Digital) (R) 10:15AM♦ 12:40PM♦ 3:05PM 5:30PM 7:55PM 10:20PM LIFE OF PI (3D) (PG) 1:30PM 7:20PM LIFE OF PI (Digital) (PG) 10:30AM 4:25PM 10:15PM LINCOLN (Digital) (PG13) 12:40PM 3:55PM 7:10PM 10:25PM PLAYING FOR KEEPS (Digital) (PG-13) 11:45AM 2:20PM 4:55PM 7:30PM 10:05PM RED DAWN (Digital) (PG13) 10:05AM 12:25PM 2:45PM 5:05PM 7:25PM 9:45PM

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS (3D) (PG) 2:10PM 7:00PM RISE OF THE GUARDIANS (Digital) (PG) 11:45AM 4:35PM 9:25PM SKYFALL (Digital) (PG13) 1:00PM 4:10PM 7:20PM 10:30PM TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN, PART 2 (Digital) (PG-13) 11:30AM 2:15PM 5:00PM 7:45PM 10:30PM WRECK-IT-RALPH (3D) (PG) 1:50PM 7:00PM WRECK-IT-RALPH (Digital) (PG) 11:15AM 4:25PM 9:35PM (SPECIAL SHOWING) - MET OPERA: AIDA (2012) (Digital) (NR) Sat. 12/15 9:55AM (MIDNIGHT SHOWING) - MONSTERS, INC. (2012) (3D) (G) Tues. 12/18 12:01AM

Showtimes listed w/ (*) shown Fri & Sat 12/14 & 12/15 only. Showtimes listed w/ ♦ NOT shown Sat. 12/15

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2

In Part 1, Bella (Kristen Stewart) got knocked up a with mutant baby who tore her up pretty good, forcing Edward (Robert Pattinson) to turn her into a vampire. In Part 2, vampiress Bella is all sunshine and smiles, and she’s got Edward truly whupped. The only dark side to these happy days is that their newborn daughter is growing at an alarming rate, and some sinister cabal of bloodsuckers is breathing down their necks, finally showing up for a battle royale that explodes all over the snowscape. A very well-crafted climax that concludes with a perfectly delivered punch line. Cinemark 14, Feather River Cinemas and Paradise Cinema 7. Rated PG-13 —C.B.

the Season

www.nor thstatesymphony.org

experience

Kyle Wiley Pickett, Music Director and Conductor

Wreck-it Ralph

A Wreck-it Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) is the villain character in a video game who gets tired of being the bad guy, so he escapes to other games in the arcade in an attempt to be the hero. Also starring the voices of Sarah Silverman, Jayne Lynch and more. Cinemark 14. Rated PG.

Selections from Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria: and more holiday favorites

Friday, December 14, 7:30 pm St. John’s Catholic Church, Chico concert sponsored by Matson and Isom tickets: 530-898-6333

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Saturday, December 15, 7:30 pm State Theatre, Red Bluff tickets: 530-898-5984

Dara Scholz, soprano

Molly Mahoney, mezzo sporano

C A L I F O R N I A

S T A T E

Sunday, December 16, 4:00 pm Our Lady of Mercy, Redding concert sponsored by Maria and Red Emmerson tickets: 530-243-8877

U N I V E R S I T Y ,

C H I C O December 13, 2012

CN&R 35

YEAR ROUND!! rain or shine

THE PERFECT PLACE FOR YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING Fresh Vegetables • Fruits & Nuts Meats • Eggs • Cheese Bakery Products Specialty Foods • Crafts

893–FARM ChicoFarmersMarket.com

36 CN&R December 13, 2012

YOU’RE WELCOME, TREES.

The Yule Logs Self-released The Yule Logs have three studio records under their belts, but most Chicoans know that the band’s bread and butter is their live performances, which include tamer elementary school concerts and the Logs’ incendiary liquor-and-Bowie-fueled shows at Duffy’s. While it’s not easy to capture The Yule Logs’ energy on disc, Double Live! does show what a tight band they really are. Recorded over two nights at the Chico Women’s Club in 2011, the album (not quite a double) is a Chex Mix of naughty and nice that pulls from The Yule Logs’ studio work in as well as introduces a handful of previously unreleased goodies. Must-haves like “Christmastime is Here (Again!)” and the crowd-participation number “Hanukkah Mambo” are present and accounted for, as is the Logs’ neo-classic “Up On the Howzie Top.” But their take on “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy” and a cover of Lindsey Buckingham’s “Holiday Road” are proof that I’ve been good this year. Which brings me to the next item on my wish list, just above peace on Earth: a cover of The Waitresses’ “Christmas Wrapping.”

MUSIC

—Mark Lore

LittleBigPlanet PS Vita Sony Computer Entertainment PlayStation Vita

RECYCLE THIS PAPER.

Saturdays 7:30am – 1pm 2nd & Wall St • Downtown Chico

Double Live!

I’m pretty sure LittleBigPlanet is best played on the PlayStation Vita, with its touch screen and rear touch pad adding two dimensions to the already intensely fun game. If you’ve played it on the PlayStation, you’re familiar with the formula. Once again you can create your own Sackboy (or girl!) and then embark on a fantastical journey to save the world, collecting bubbles along the way. This time, Sackboy is called upon to help the inhabitants of Carnivalia, a lively bunch to be sure. The Vita offers more than just a joystick and a few buttons to control your movements, however, and the rear touch pad and the touch screen become integral in moving items, shooting things and even flying. For old-school gamers, this might be more distracting than revolutionary. But clearly this game and this system were made for each other, as is evidenced by the create-your-own-levels aspect of LBP, which make the magic and challenge virtually endless.

GAME

—Meredith J. Graham

Bop! Bang! Boom! Grant Geissman Futurism Records This CD is, according to the liner notes, the “third in a trilogy of wildly eclectic outings [that] reflects Geissman’s shift to more traditional jazz expressions.” Geissman is a proficient guitarist who’s surrounded himself with a lot of talent with varying results. After a career as a smooth-jazz player he’s stepped out somewhat on this and the other CDs that compose the trilogy—2006’s Say That and 2009’s Cool, Man, Cool, both of which feature some of the experienced studio players featured here, guys like Larry Carlton, Tom Scott and Albert Lee. With all this muscle on board I anticipated finding much more along the Bop! line to enjoy but was dismayed to wind up with more Bang! and Boom! (companion words of the equally vacuous “flash!”). The first track, “Boom,” is a hip-hoppy tune with a noodley tenor-sax solo and floppy drums. More of the same on track two, “The Singularity.” Finally, on “Q Tip” the group livens things up with a “Sidewinder”-style groove. Geissman is a fine musician and plays a classical guitar on three tunes with considerable effect (especially on the lilting “Samba en Menor”), while on the sprightly “Texas Shuffle” he’s joined by Lee and Carlton. For me this is a very mixed bag.

MUSIC

—Miles Jordan

SEASONAL. LOCAL. UNIQUE A happy crew circles the wings: (clockwise, from left) Brett Chell, Alex Newlin, Casey Gidel, Alissa Barker and Tony Bolar. PHOTO BY JASON CASSIDY

198 E. 2nd St. | 530-809-2304 | www.granachico.com

r! Yea w y Ne p p Ha from 09

On a wing and a beer

09 10

0910

Memories of chicken-wing Wednesdays at Bella’s

Mthat narrow bar between The Dungeon and Petra Mediterranean Cuisine on Broadway—came in the form of a y first introduction to Bella’s Sports Pub—

drunken baseball-team gathering roughly three years ago. Our shortstop spoke excitedly of Wing Wednesday, a glorious all-day special in by which one dollar got you three wings. Howard Hardee We found ourselves occupying a corner booth overlooking the street as we devoured howardh@ wings, squabbled over the jukebox, specunewsreview.com lated on our future playoff chances and drank an irresponsible amount of beer, particularly for a Wednesday afternoon. But we weren’t alone—the turnout would have been impressive for a Saturday night, and it wasn’t just college kids. People from all corners of Chico (and even outside of town) are drawn to the cozy downtown pub every week. ★★★ 1⁄2 Our team stayed until a drinking game based around The Police’s “Roxanne” (one Bella’s half of the table drank every time Sting Sports Pub sang “Roxanne,” the other half drank when 134 Broadway he sang “red light”) did everyone in. 893-5253 It was, far and away, the best bar expewww.bellassports rience of my life. pubchico.com Not much has changed at Bella’s since then. Although prices have risen to (a very reasonable) $1.50 for three wings, there are still sports on multiple flat-screen TVs, plenty of draft-beer selections and that raucous Wing Wednesday clientele. It’s a beautiful thing. ★★★★★ EPIC For starters, they use fresh, hand-breaded chicken wings. Having previously spo★★★★ AUTHORITATIVE ken with the owners, I know they don’t hold the frozen-food-tossed-into-deep★★★ APPEALING fryer approach in high regard, favoring fresh meat from S&S Organic Produce and ★★ HAS MOMENTS Natural Foods. But the sauces are really ★ what take Bella’s wings to lofty heights. FLAWED On my most recent visit, a friend and I

chose to sample three varieties: teriyaki, Bella’s Tiger (sweet and Asian-spiced) and Bella’s Sundevil (sweet and hot). Since the wings all came in one basket, the sauces became one sweet and spicy pool, making it difficult to distinguish which was which. But it didn’t matter so much—we concluded all the wings were delicious, if maybe excessively gooey. Even though our server brought a comical number of napkins with the wings, we still ran out. In fact, I continued finding sauce in undesirable places (i.e. not my mouth) some hours later. Darn gooey. Since we weren’t quite full after our round of wings, we took another look through the baseball-themed menu. All the usual bar-food suspects were there: burgers, melts and sausages (under “Home Runs”), fried appetizers (“Singles”) and such. And, somewhat shockingly for a sports pub, Bella’s offers a full selection of salads and wraps under their “Second Base” category. After my buddy and I commended the pub for offering healthful options, we ordered a basket of tater tots. And while tater tots may seem like a difficult dish to screw up, I recalled my unsavory experiences with tater tots in middle school (and I don’t mean having them smashed in my face), and that, at their worst, tater tots can be a grease-soaked mess. Delivered as a veritable mountain of crunchy fried-potato goodness, Bella’s tots we’re significantly tastier than their cafeteria cousins. The basket and the pitcher of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale with which it was enjoyed finished off a satisfying pub-grub meal nicely. We left Bella’s full and a little tipsy, having spent only $20 for lunch for two and a pitcher of beer. My advice: Consider requesting an extra wad of napkins, and if you’re going to play a song-based drinking game, pick a tune less repetitive than “Roxanne.” Ω

Make Your New Years Eve Reservations with us 09

. U.S.D.A

PReIaMkE s

09 10

0910

09 10

0910

St5ethaksthroeuest E

at GrEk G C in Stof ErS! Stu f

GiftatES iC E CErtaif aBL aV iL

Gift Card

891-6328 09

345 W. 5th Street

10 09

0910

Chico

Open Fridays for Lunch 11:30am–2:30pm Join us for Happy Hour Mon–Fri 4:30pm-6pm

www.5thstreetsteakhouse.com December 13, 2012

09 10

CN&R 37

0910

DESIGNER

JEN_PU

NIGHTLIFE

THURSDAY 12|13—WEDNESDAY 12|19 CHICO BAILE LATINO: MORE THAN SALSA: Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia and Bachata dance lessons followed by an open social dance. F, 8pm through 11/15. $2$4. The Hub, 685 Manzanita Ct. Inside the Holiday Inn, Chico; (530) 518-9454.

GROUP HUG TOUR

This is one of the most intriguing bills of the year for a concert in Chico. The roster of four young, female MCs is headlined by the much-hyped Oakland rapper Kreayshawn—still riding the viral wave created by her earworm “Gucci, Gucci”—but just as headline-worthy is Baltimore-bred M.I.A. recruit Rye Rye, whose much-anticipated (and years-delayed) debut Go! Pop! Bang! has finally dropped. Rounding out the Friday, Dec. 14, lineup at the Senator Theatre will be Honey Cocaine and Chippy Nonstop.

COUNTRY NIGHT: Live country music with Rancho Mars. F, 5-8pm. Free. Towne Lounge, 327 Main St.; (530) 896-0235.

DEAD WINTER CARPENTERS: The up-andcoming Americana/rock outfit from Tahoe makes another Chico appearance. Good Gravy and Low Flying Birds open. F, 12/14, 9pm. $8-$10. Lost On Main, 319 Main St.; (530) 891-1853.

DECADES: Hits from the ‘20s to now. F,

12/14, 8pm. $1. LaSalles, 229 Broadway;

13THURSDAY BLUES JAM: Weekly open jam. Th, 8pm-

midnight. Lynns Optimo, 9225 Skyway

THE JEFF PERSHING BAND: Chico’s

master of funk on the back patio. Th,

12/13, 6-9pm. Free. LaSalles, 229 Broadway; (530) 893-1891.

JOHN SEID: John Seid and friends, featuring Larry Peterson and Steve Cook playing an eclectic mix of tunes all night. Th, 6:30-9:30pm. Free. Johnnies Restaurant, 220 W. Fourth St. inside Hotel Diamond; (530) 895-1515; www.johnniesrestaurant.com.

in Paradise; (530) 872-1788.

CHICO JAZZ COLLECTIVE: Thursday jazz.

Th, 8-11pm. Free. The DownLo, 319 Main St.; (530) 892-2473.

THE FONTAINE CLASSIC: A danceable indie rock duo originally from Chico (now operating out of Portland). Th, 12/13, 8pm. Origami Lounge, 7th And Cherry Streets.

IMPROV JAM: Open jam with Michael

LAST STAND: A stand-up comedy openmic. Th, 8-10pm. Cafe Flo, 365 E. Sixth St.; (530) 514-8888; www.liveatflo.weebly.com.

MATTEO PLAYS FILM SCORES: Classical

Gaughan. Th, 5-8pm. Cafe Flo, 365 E. Sixth St.; (530) 514-8888; www.liveatflo.weebly.com.

guitarist Matteo plays film scores and light classics. Th, 6pm. Free. Angelos Cucina Trinacria, 407 Walnut St.; (530) 899-9996.

OPEN MIC: Singers, poets and musicians welcome. Th, 7-10pm. Has Beans Internet Cafe & Galleria, 501 Main St.; (530) 894-3033; www.hasbeans.com.

14FRIDAY BANDS NOT BOMBS: A benefit show for Food Not Bombs (which serves meals to the homeless in Chico City Plaza on Saturdays) featuring Blood Cabana, Season of the Witch, The Oisters and Badger. F, 12/14, 8pm. $5. Monstros Pizza & Subs, 628 W. Sacramento Ave.; (530) 345-7672.

BLUES JAM: Weekly open jam. Th, 8pm-

midnight. Lynns Optimo, 9225 Skyway in Paradise; (530) 872-1788.

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FESTIVUS FOR THE REST OF US: A Chico holiday tradition—beer, mistletoe and bands at Coda. Acts include The Sad Bastards, Lish Bills, Pageant Dads and Bogg. F, 12/14, 8pm. $5. Café Coda, 265 Humboldt Ave.; (530) 566-9476; www.cafecoda.com.

Oroville; (530) 533-3885; www.feather fallscasino.com.

KYMMI & THE DIAMONDBACKS: Top 40

country covers. F, 12/14, 9pm. Free. Colusa Casino Resort, 3770 Hwy. 45 in Colusa; (530) 458-8844; www.colusacasino.com.

NORTHERN TRADITIONZ: The country half

of the metal band Esoteric performs. F, 12/14, 9pm. $3. Tackle Box Bar & Grill, 375 E. Park Ave.; (530) 345-7499.

ALL FIRED UP: Classic rock and ‘80s

covers. Sa, 12/15, 9pm. Free. Rolling Hills Casino, 2655 Barham Ave. in Corning; (530) 528-3500; www.rollinghillscasino.com.

R&B and soul. Sa, 12/15, 9pm. Farwood Bar & Grill, 705 Fifth St. in Orland; (530) 865-9900.

room. F, 12/14, 8:30pm. Gold Country Casino, 4020 Olive Hwy at Gold Country Casino & Hotel in Oroville; (530) 534-9892; www.goldcountry casino.com.

ENVELOPE PEASANT & THE SCIENTIFIC ORCHESTRA: Local acoustic “orches-

TRUE 2 CRUE: A Motley Crue tribute band in the brewery. F, 12/14, 9:30pm. $5. Feather Falls Casino, 3 Alverda Dr. in

15SATURDAY CHUCK EPPERSON & ERIC PETER: Funk,

OFF THE HOOK: Live music in the show-

tra” fronted by the Envelope Peasant himself, Sean Harrasser. Broken Rodeo and The Lost Cadillacs open. Sa, 12/15, 8-11pm. $6. Origami Lounge, 7th and Cherry Streets.

GUITAR PROJECT: A semi-regular guitar showcase hosted by Warren Haskell.

GROUP HUG TOUR: F, 12/14, 8pm. $17.50. Senator Theatre, 517 Main St.; (530) 898-1497; www.jmaxproductions.net.

IRISH MUSIC HAPPY HOUR: A Chico tradition: Friday night happy hour with a traditional Irish music session by the Pub Scouts. F, 4pm. $1. Duffys Tavern, 337 Main St.; (530) 343-7718.

BANDS NOT BOMBS Friday, Dec. 14 Monstros Pizza SEE FRIDAY

THE JEFF PERSHING BAND: Funk-master Jeff in the lounge. F, 12/14, 8:30pm. Free. Feather Falls Casino, 3 Alverda

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THIS WEEK: FIND MORE ENTERTAINMENT AND SPECIAL EVENTS ON PAGE 26

It’s been a year since famed New York street musician S.K. Thoth and his partner, Lila Angelique, unleashed their singular voices on Chico, and this weekend, Saturday, Dec. 15, the duo is back at the GRUB Co-op for another of their so-called “prayformances,” featuring dancing, violins and singing wildly in Thoth’s invented Festad language. A truly unique event.

OFF THE HOOK: Live music in the showroom. Sa, 12/15, 8:30pm. Free. Gold Country Casino, 4020 Olive Hwy at Gold Country Casino & Hotel in Oroville; (530) 534-9892; www.goldcountry casino.com.

JOHN SEID & LARRY PETERSON: An eclectic mix of tunes by which to dine. Su, 12/16, 6-9pm. Free. 5th Street Steakhouse, 345 W. Fifth St.; (530) 8916328; www.5thstreetsteakhouse.com.

THRONES: The long-running, noisy solo

THE ROCKHOUNDS: Classic rock covers. Sa, 12/15, 9pm. Free. Tackle Box Bar & Grill, 375 E. Park Ave.; (530) 345-7499. SCHOOL OF ROCK CHRISTMAS PARTY: Student perform-

experiment from Joe Preston, formerly of the Melvins. Insane Nightmare, Teeph and Adam Scarborough open. Su, 12/16, 8pm. $5. Café Coda, 265 Humboldt Ave.; (530) 566-9476; www.cafecoda.com.

17MONDAY

ances, instrument giveaways and a performance by Chico’s holiday rockers, The Yule Logs. Sa, 12/15, 1-5pm. Chico School of Rock, 932 E. Eighth Ave. A; (530) 894-2526.

Robinson Trio. M, 5-7pm. Cafe Flo, 365 E. Sixth St.; (530) 514-8888; www.liveat flo.weebly.com.

SINGER-SONGWRITER SAGA: Sa, 12/15, 7:30pm. $10. 1078 Gallery, 820 Broadway; (530) 343-1973; www.1078gallery.org.

HEMLOCK STREET KLEZMER BAND:

and more. Sa, 12/15, 8:30-11am. Free. Cal Java Coffee Roasters, 216 W. East Ave.; (530) 891-8935.

JOURNEY UNAUTHORIZED: A tribute band

Traditional Eastern-European dance music. Sa, 12/15, 8pm. $5. Cafe Flo, 365 E. Sixth St.; (530) 514-8888; www.liveat flo.weebly.com.

THE JEFF PERSHING BAND: Funk-master Jeff in the lounge. Sa, 12/15, 8:30pm. Free. Feather Falls Casino, 3 Alverda Dr. in Oroville; (530) 533-3885; www.featherfallscasino.com.

covering Journey’s three decades of fist-pumping arena rock. In the brewery. Sa, 12/15, 9:30pm. $5. Feather Falls Casino, 3 Alverda Dr. in Oroville; (530) 533-3885; www.featherfallscasino.com.

KYMMI & THE DIAMONDBACKS: Top 40

country covers. Sa, 12/15, 9pm. Free. Colusa Casino Resort, 3770 Hwy. 45 in Colusa; (530) 458-8844; www.colusa casino.com.

Beatles, the blues, Christmas tunes

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6:30pm. GRUB Cooperative, 1525 Dayton Rd.; (530) 828-6390.

16SUNDAY JAZZ: Weekly jazz. Su, 4-6pm. Has Beans Internet Cafe & Galleria, 501 Main St.; (530) 894-3033; www.hasbeans.com.

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country, tin pan alley, jazz and more. W, 7-9pm. Free. VIP Ultra Lounge, 191 E. Second St. Upstairs from The Beach.

OPEN JAM NIGHT: Join the jam. Drum kit, bass rig, guitar amp and PA system are provided, bring your own instruments. All ages until 10. W, 7pm. Free. Italian Garden, 6929 Skyway in Paradise; (530) 876-9988; www.myspace.com/theitaliangarden.

SWING DANCE WEDNESDAY: Every Wednesday night, swing dancing lessons 8-10pm. W, 8-10pm. Free. Crazy Horse Saloon & Brewery, 303 Main St.; (530) 894-5408.

100th Monkey Books & Cafe, 642 West Fifth St.

SARATONE: Acoustic “musical medicine”

THRONES

Sunday, Dec. 16 Café Coda SEE SUNDAY

AARON JAQUA: An open singer-song-

writer night. Tu, 7-9pm. Free. Cafe Flo, 365 E. Sixth St.; (530) 514-8888; www.liveatflo.weebly.com.

19WEDNESDAY HIP-HOP NIGHT: Rap artists presented by Soul Real Music Group. W, 12/19, 9pm. $3. LaSalles, 229 Broadway; (530) 8931891.

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LAURIE DANA: Soul, light rock, blues,

exploring deep roots, gospel, kirtan and more. W, 12/19, 7-11pm. $10. GRUB Cooperative, 1525 Dayton Rd.; (541) 731-1165.

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Robinson and company. W, 5-7pm. Free. Cafe Flo, 365 E. Sixth St.; (530) 514-8888; www.liveatflo.weebly.com.

OPEN MIC: All ages welcome. W, 7pm. Free.

JAZZ HAPPY HOUR: With the Carey

The final round of the threeweek songwriter’s competition features the two finalists, Heather Michell and Logan Dunn. Sa, 9pm through 12/15. Free. Maltese Bar & Taproom, 1600 Park Ave.; (530) 3434915.

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T Theatre’s production of August: Osage County says it all very succinctly: “A play about family, but he tagline on the poster for Rogue

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John McCutcheon John has been called “the most overwhelming folk performer in the English language.”

John McCutcheon returns for his annual visit to the Big Room. John’s shows sell out quickly and he’s become one of the most popular performers I’ve ever presented. He has become what one Australian paper called “the most overwhelming folk performer in the English language.” His mastery of American folk music and instruments complemented by “storytelling that has the richness of fine literature” (Washington Post) weave intimate, insightful and often hilarious canvasses on which McCutcheon draws his vision of Americana. His concerts are international sold-out hits. Pravda noted “McCutcheon … is the most versatile and compelling performer this reviewer has ever seen”… His story telling style has been compared to Will Rogers and Garrison Keillor. This is an event for the whole family. This show is without question a “Bob Pick!” Tickets to see John are the perfect Christmas gift for the whole family.

Tickets $20 On sale Saturday, 12/15 in the gift shop or online. Doors open at 6pm • Music starts at 7:30pm

Join the Big Room e-mail list by visiting www.sierranevada.com 1075 E. 20th StrEEt • ChiCo • 896-2198 All Ages Welcome At Each Show 40 CN&R December 13, 2012

not a family play.” Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning dark comedy is about one family coming together by Jason Cassidy under one roof, but the amount of emotional bile and jaw-dropping jasonc@ newsreview.com scandal that flows forth once the gang has gathered would surely rot away any sugarplum visions dancing in your children’s heads. But, with the kiddies nestled snugREVIEW: Rogue Theatre ly at home, the naughty and brave presents August: Rogue company unleashed nearly Osage County , three hours’ worth of riveting and Thursdayscandalous family soap opera for an Saturday, opening night (Thursday, Dec. 6) that 7:30 p.m., Dec. 13-15, was one of the most satisfying theater and Thursday & experiences to be had in Chico in Friday, 7:30 p.m., recent years. Letts’ smartly written Dec. 20 & 21, at play has been one of the most talked the Southside about contemporary works since its Playhouse. Tickets: $10 debut in Chicago and on Broadway (available at in 2007, and director Joe Hilsee and door only) his cast and crew have met the challenge with a smart and passionate Southside production. Playhouse 2145 Park Ave., #13 The setup is pretty straightforwww.chico ward: The patriarch of the Weston rogue.com family of Pawhuska, Okla., Beverly, has gone missing and is feared dead, so the three grown daughters and various other family members all gather at the family homestead during the heat of August to offer support to their mother, Violet. After a brief setup by the missing Beverly Weston (a cocktail-toting Roger Montalbano), the family gradually enters the home and immediately following brief pleasantries, every scab—old and new—is yanked clean off and the fresh wounds are doused with salt. Feelings are trampled, secrets (sad and shocking secrets) are unearthed, boundaries are crossed, heads are smashed and lots of pills, pot and booze are ingested. Sometimes it’s funny; all the time it’s painful; and just as you think things might be winding down, another revelation arises and another climax swells and the gut-punching ride along the family’s crazy orbit continues. “Thank god we can’t tell the future, or we’d never get out of bed,” mother Violet says after one particularly bleak reminiscence, breaking the tension for the moment before diving back into the fray. Mom is definitely the chief instigator in all this,

and veteran local player Joyce Henderson is fittingly enormous in the role as the sick and extremely caustic center of the proceedings. At one turn, her character would be nearly catatonic under the influence of prescribed downers, mumbling incoherently and sadly stumbling around. Then, in a snap, she’d uncork an obscene barrage of insults and core-cutting judgment, most often directed at her equally strong-headed daughter, Barbara, played with matched visceral emotional intensity by Rogue mainstay Betty Burns. Despite its length and near-constant dialogue, the story remained refreshingly engaging throughout. It was kind of like a good (or a bad) book that you can’t set down and keep reading long after you should’ve turned out the light. While some critics cite the Westons as the “most dysfunctional” family you’ll ever witness, I didn’t necessarily see them as so extreme of an example. For me, the main appeal is that, after a lifetime of repression, what lies beneath the surface is being completely exposed all at once. That’s not something we normally get to see in such clear focus. Exposing what’s led to this family’s downfall also raises questions about what rot might be hidden beneath the facades of all those other homes in the middle of America. The Westons might seem a crazy bunch, but scratch the surface of that drunk nephew or that pill-popping aunt of yours and there’s likely to be a wilder story than you could imagine. There is certainly a lot to chew on after the fact, but mostly it’s just a blast to experience Letts’ gleefully shocking (and funny) characters and the vivid performances that the cast brought to them. Aside from some not completely warmed-up exchanges in the first couple of scenes, every player was engaged and very naturally inhabited his or her role—from Shawn Galloway’s complex turn as Barbara’s seemingly earnest, but unfaithful husband to Jeremy Votava as the casually creepy fiancé of sister Karen Weston. For their first show at the new Southside Playhouse, Rogue did a marvelous job of transforming what is basically a big metal warehouse into a very appealing, smartly laid out theater space. Designer Amber Miller (who also plays Karen) and her set-construction team basically built the inside of an authentically dated and dusty two-story house—right down to the console stereo and hide-a-bed couch—inside the warehouse. It’s probably a good idea to bring an extra sweater to the warehouse at this time of year. Although, due to high demand, Rogue is adding a couple of extra shows to the end of the run, so maybe there will be plenty of Ω extra bodies to warm the place up.

ARTS DEVO

Make Christmas special for the

Jason Cassidy • jasonc@newsreview.com

THE KING HAS LEFT THE BUILDING Things are always ending and beginning in this college town’s ever-shifting arts scene, but this change is a defining moment for Chico: At the end of December, Dan DeWayne will retire from his job as director of University Public Events at Chico State. For the past 13 years, DeWayne has been responsible for booking more than 1,100 shows for UPE’s Chico Performances series, and this past Friday, Dec. 7, before the Sweet Honey in the Rock a capella show, he made his last introduction from the Laxson Auditorium stage. There is no arguing that DeWayne curated the most impressive and varied lineups of live performances in all of Chico during his tenure. There were so many that any list of highlights would be terribly incomplete: American icons (Willie Nelson, B.B. King), world-class music (as well has hidden gems) from around the globe (Buena Vista Social Club, Habib Koité, Ladysmith Black Mambazo), Americana greats (Gillian Welch, Steve Martin), virtuosos (Tommy Emmanuel, Branford Marsalis), Dan, The Man speakers (David Sedaris, Garrison Keillor), plus dancers, Broadway plays and much more. “It’s been a pretty wonderful run,” DeWayne shared, adding that he has always appreciated how much the community and the university supported Chico Performances over the years. DeWayne’s involvement in event production goes way back to his days as the founder of the Strawberry Music Festival in 1982. He first made his mark in Chico in the early ’90s, starting both the Shakespeare in the Park and Chico World Music Festival in 1993, followed by the creation (with his wife, Christine Myers) of California WorldFest in Grass Valley in 1997 around the time he started working for UPE (he took over the director job in 2000). Come summertime, you’ll still be able to enjoy DeWayne and his wife’s handiwork—Cal WorldFest isn’t going anywhere. In fact, you can visit www.worldfest.net and get holidaypriced tix for the July 11-14 fest right now. WESTON WORKS Chico ex-pat and artist/badass Weston Thomson’s web-

Weston’s Guardian

site at www.westonworks.blogspot.com is all kinds of awesome. Thomson is making art in Omaha, Neb., now, and his blog/site features his latest creations and experiments—much of it put together for his recent one-man show, Future Artifacts, at the Kent Bellows Studio in Omaha. Weston has been augmenting his trippy paintings with trippy sculptures created via digital 3D drawings that are “printed” as 3D models and transformed into sculptures like this impressive Chinese guardian mask (pictured). Stop by, check out homeboy’s impressive work, and leave a comment.

KRAMPUS ON MY WISH LIST Oh, Etsy, you have made my holiday. There is SO MUCH rad hand-made Krampus merch for sale at the online craft shop (search “krampus”): Krampus ornaments, Krampus cards, stuffed Krampuses, a leathery-looking Krampus doll (“He stayed up all night drinking Mulberry Schnapps and eating naughty children”) and best, best, BEST of all: “The Krampus Hunter,” a super pen-and-ink drawing by Oakland artist Jon Carling of a knife-wielding bunny absconding with a severed Krampus head. Awwww, cute. For only $20, you can order an 8x10 print from www.etsy.com/shop/joncarling and deliver it to Arts DEVO in time for Krampusnacht!

kids at the

Esplanade House PLEASE DON’T DELAY! The Chico News & Review invites

community members to stop by our office to choose a name and purchase gifts for an Esplanade House child. Please have wrapped gifts returned to the CN&R office by

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 19

★ Be a Special Santa to benefit the children of the Esplanade House, a transitional shelter facility for homeless families. Thank you from:

The Esplanade House and

★

353 E. 2nd St., Chico • (530) 894-2300

Mon.-Fri., 9am – 5pm

“The Krampus Hunter”

December 13, 2012

CN&R 41

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