The basic outline for the plot to William Shakespeare’s Macbeth can be explained in a children’s book. If you give the Thane of Glamis (Macbeth, the title character) the title Thane of Cawdor, he’s going to want to be king. And if he manages to become king, through foul and treacherous murder, he will be […]
The wyrd and the dead
Posted inNews
Political hopefuls enter the Internet
Political hopefuls have always seized technological advances to get an edge in their campaigns. JFK did it with television. More recently, President Barrack Obama’s team executed a social media strategy largely credited with bringing mass voter attention to his message of hope and change. Considering the results—Obama is in the White House, after all—it’s no […]
Posted inOpinion
How do you keep in touch online?
Michael Pennington Air Force member “Facebook. I tried it one day and everybody was on it.” Evan Rorabaugh distribution worker “E-mail, and once in a while I use Facebook. I try not to use Facebook too often—it’s like high school, but online.” Jessalyn Brown student “I use Facebook since everyone has it.” Christian Baker golf […]
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Political Watch 2.18
On Feb. 10, the three environmental groups negotiating the Tranquillon Ridge Project with Plains Exploration & Production Company (PXP) submitted testimony to the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Natural Resources protesting the project’s inclusion in the governor’s budget proposal. In their statement, the Environmental Defense Center, Get Oil Out!, and Santa Barbara County Citizens Planning Association […]
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Community Notebook 2.18
FRIDAY, FEB. 19 • The Santa Maria City/County Coalition for the Homeless has its regular meeting from 10 a.m. to noon at the Betteravia Government Center conference room, 511 East Lakeside Parkway. • The Lompoc City/County Coalition for the Homeless has its regular meeting from noon to 1 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors […]
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Have spray paint, will tag
Santa Maria is getting more colorful—and not necessarily in a good way. If you think you’ve been seeing more graffiti than usual around town lately, you’re not imagining things. In January 2009, there were 33 logged incidences of graffiti, according to city records. Last month, there were 114. While the majority of tagging is gang […]
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Time served?
Can a person ever find redemption after participating in murder? Bruce Davis’ supporters think so. Now, apparently, so does a state parole board. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) Board of Parole Hearings on Jan. 28 recommended parole for Davis, a former associate—or “Family member”—of the notorious Charles Manson. Davis, 67, has been […]
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Don’t stop the love
Senior citizens who still want to waltz away for Valentine’s Day, take heart: Though the holiday has come and gone, you can still move to the swooning vocals of the Chairman of the Board. Righetti High School Key Club is hosting a St. Valentine’s Senior dance on Feb. 20, from 2 to 5 p.m. Best […]
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Body found off Bonita School Road in Nipomo
On Feb. 15 around 6:49 a.m., a man was driving on Bonita School Road when he saw a human body lying on the ground about a quarter of a mile south of Division Street in Nipomo. As of press time, police would only say that the body was an unidentified male. It’s being called a […]
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Earth First! activists descend on Santa Barbara to oppose Tranquillon Ridge Project
Another environmental group has added its name to the ever-growing list of organizations voicing disapproval of an oil-drilling agreement between Plains Exploration Production Co. (PXP) and a trio of Santa Barbara-based environmental groups. Activists belonging to the international organization Earth First! gathered in protest Feb. 15 at the PXP petroleum processing plant and the headquarters […]
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State Assembly says ‘no’ to Maldonado, but the contentious nomination process is far from over
Much to the chagrin of many state legislators, the politically divisive battle over the nomination of Sen. Abel Maldonado to the state’s lieutenant governorship could be waged in Sacramento for the next three months. Backing off threats to seek a court decision supporting his choice, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Feb. 12 he would resubmit Maldonado’s […]