Will God or evolution finally decide that this human experiment has failed? Our oceans have whirlpools the size of Texas filled with human debris. Our lakes, rivers, and oceans are contaminated with pesticides and other pollutants associated with storm runoff. We are cutting down tropical forests the size of Manhattan each and every day. We […]
What’s next: space?
Posted inOpinion
Is GITMO looking good around now?
Two U.S. female correspondents, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, were captured by the North Korean regime while doing research on women’s rights along their border with China, both sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in one of their infamous gulag work camps for trumped up “hostilities.” I imagine they would prefer being incarcerated in […]
Posted inOpinion
Our budget needs imagination, not scare tactics
There are trial balloons being sent out from the state capitol daily. And the news organizations take each and every one of these lead balloons as the next change in our horrible budget problem. The latest is the closing of our state parks, including our Central Coast treasures. Let me state one thing: The media […]
Posted inOpinion
President Obama should fully examine Middle East issues
President Obama’s speech in Cairo was very eloquently presented. It is a known fact that today there is no peace in the Middle East. But I did not read of the president indicating his knowledge of how Israel, in compliance with the United States, evicted its own citizens from the Gaza strip and how instead […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Art students get recognized
Two student artists got a little help from the Town Center Art Gallery in their pursuit of the arts. Michelle Kohler of Grover Beach and Kimberly Saylor of Guadalupe received $250 apiece as part of the Town Center Gallery’s art scholarship program. The gallery gives out three scholarships each year: two to Hancock students and […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Solvang jazzes things up
Since its inception in 2007, the Solvang Jazz Festival has grown to include world-class stars and bright new talent—and has expanded the musical education opportunities it offers. Stix Hooper—drummer, composer, vocalist, and president of the nonprofit Universal Guild for Jazz and Progressive Music that puts on the Solvang Jazz Festival—announced this year’s lineup, which includes […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Celebrate a sweet history
Long before it became the City of Arts and Flowers, Lompoc was simply the City of Flowers. The moniker was an obvious one, given the fields in bloom and the many seed manufacturing companies that dotted the area. Lompoc resident Bess Christensen recalled first coming to Lompoc in 1964 and getting a tour of the […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
It’s tea time!
There’s no other way to describe artist Bill Shinn’s ceramics studio: It looks like the aftermath of the Mad Hatter’s tea party. Shinn isn’t slighted by that description. “Someone else said that, and I kinda like it,” he said. Since this story is about a little teapot, the description is even more fitting. Tucked in […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Get a taste of summer
Ahhh, summer, a heady season on the wine trail, where warm weather and long days make exploring Santa Barbara County’s wine country simply irresistible. Along with lovely scenery and exceptional wines, local producers offer a lineup of tastings and special events guaranteed to put a little extra “joy” in “enjoy.” At ampelos cellars, the proprietors […]
Posted inNews
Wonder women
Women dressed in dark uniforms—each adorned with a unique patch and insignia—stand around the room. They have belts fastened around their hips, all bearing staples of law enforcement gadgetry: guns, handcuffs, and walkie-talkies. Each of these women is ready, at a moment’s notice, to respond to emergency situations specific to their agency. That might mean […]
Posted inOpinion
Read our lips: No new taxes
Our elected state officials have no respect for us. We trusted them—we voted—yet, they seem only to seek personal gain and power. They screw up. Then, they come to us for bailouts again, and again, and again. Like little children, they run from responsibility. Are any of them mature? Dependable? This situation is sad. Our […]
Posted inOpinion
What are your summer plans?
Derek Hill Student “I’m going to be preparing here before I head off to college at Cal Poly.” Emma Plott Student “I’m going to be working a lot at TnT’s to pay for college this fall.” Luke Peterson Courtesy Clerk “I’m going to work and hang out with my girlfriend.” Emily Elkins Internet Junkie “I’m […]
