The “comments” section on the Davis Vanguard has evolved into a pretty good online discussion zone on various big issues affecting Davis. The opinions often go way beyond the couched language that sometimes passes for official discourse in town. Lately, the term “Vanguard 10” has emerged as a shorthand description of the most frequent commenters on the site … raising the question of whether they’re just a random handful of people who enjoy using the site, or instead represent the busiest end of what's emerging as one of the best online civic forums in town. Today we talk with two of the 10, Tia Will and Jeff Boone.
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This program first aired in March 2015, but we always knew we'd broadcast it at Christmas, too.
Fifty years ago David Willat, who was 11, was one of the half-dozen children who sang in the chorus on Vince Guaraldi’s classic "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Willat also sang in the choir on another of Guaraldi’s big projects that year, the Grace Cathedral Jazz Mass. On today’s program Willat talks about both experiences with host Bill Buchanan and Peanuts/Guaraldi expert Derrick Bang, Davis author of the 2012 book Vince Guaraldi at the Piano.
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Heard of the Davis Angels Network, or Silicon Valley Bank? The former is working to build a local culture that supports and invests in start-up companies in Davis, and the latter was founded in 1982 to become a major source of funding for emerging tech companies in the Silicon Valley (and grew into an international bank). On today’s Davisville, Lonnie Bookbinder of the Davis Angels, and retired SV Bank chairman Bob Medearis, who both live in Davis, talk about the real efforts to place more start-up ventures in town. There’s more going on in this area in Davis than you might know about.
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This week I'm glad to welcome Davis film critic Derrick Bang back to Davisville for our annual end-of-the-year movie show. 2015 has been a good year for movies, he says, and today we get his take on films to see and skip this season, the continuing importance of the Thanksgiving-New Year’s stretch to Hollywood, and the films he considers to be the most unappreciated movies of Christmas.
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Shades of Blue: Writers on Depression, Suicide, and Feeling Blue is a new collection of essays by 35 writers, edited by Amy Ferris. Two of the writers are Debra LoGuerico DeAngelo, Winters Express editor and columnist for the Davis Enterprise, and David Lacy, who grew up in Davis and now teaches writing in Southern California. "It is possible to find hope and solidarity in these pages, but don’t expect a feel-good trip," says the review in Publishers Weekly. "It’s a true-to-life kick in the pants designed to bring comfort to anyone who’s feeling hopeless." On today’s show, DeAngelo and Lacy talk about Shades of Blue, and the experiences behind their stories—Lacy’s “Allies in the Sky,” and DeAngelo’s “If I Love You, You’ll Leave.”
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In her Messenger series, Davis novelist Eileen Rendahl tells the story of a young woman living in Sacramento whose unusual powers allow her to recognize and talk to supernatural creatures—including a vampire who’s also an emergency-room doctor, and a werewolf who has tended bar for nearly 100 years. On today’s show we talk about the story, her snarky protagonist, the appeal of supernatural fiction, and why the creatures are no longer the icons of dread they were in the classics ... which doesn’t mean they’re cuddly.
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Even if you don’t own stocks, you’ve probably heard about the steep price swings in the stock market since August, and perhaps wondered what they mean. Brad Barber, a professor of finance at UC Davis, is an often-quoted expert (New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN) on the market, investor psychology and related subjects. On today’s show we talk about investing in stocks, this year’s volatility, his research into the habits of the average investor, and the evolution away from pensions that guarantee a defined payout.
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The $300 milion Nishi Gateway project would be a major addition to Davis. It would build research space, offices, housing for rent and for sale, and a relatively small amount of retail on what’s now vacant land southwest of downtown and next to UC Davis. Davis voters, through a citywide ballot, could vote yes or no on the project as soon as June 2016. Sustainable design, jobs, traffic, population growth, the local economy, partnerships with UC Davis--this project touches on all these recurring Davis issues. Today we discuss its ins & outs with the project's managing partner, Tim Ruff of Davis.
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Been through the new “Dutch intersection” at J and Covell yet? The city rebuilt this busy crossroads near the new Cannery housing development in order to slow and improve the safety of right-hand turns by cars and trucks, make bicyclists more visible, and shorten the distance that cyclists and pedestrians must cross to clear the traffic lanes. It represents the continued reshuffle of bikes, cars and foot traffic in Davis, and there’s more to come. On today’s show we talk about the intersection, how it works, feedback from its first month, and what’s next, with Robb Davis, Davis mayor pro tem and an experienced bicyclist himself.
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