Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture

Athlete of the Week

Rachael Wahl approached her first time at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, Neb., feeling only a bit tense. With 10,000 people in the stands gazing at her, it would be hard for this member of the Santa Maria Swim Club to rid herself of the butterflies in her stomach. Fortunately, this swimmer wanted […]

Posted inOpinion

Get smart about oil

Lois Capps needs to get past her 1969 oil spill mentality and embrace modern technology and science. Energy and oil are for everyone, not only for the elite who fly to Washington weekly on planes using oil. Our economy needs the oil. With increased drilling, prices will decrease because the oil producing counties will no […]

Posted inOpinion

Communism flourishes in environmentalism

How has communism flourished in so many countries? Two philosophers, Georg Hegel and Karl Marx, in the mid-19th century decided that the working man did not have any choice when working for his employer, and had to accept whatever demands his employer made of him. In subsequent years, unscrupulous politicians used this philosophy to gain […]

Posted inOpinion

You call those stories ‘winners’?

Once again, your selection of winners of the 55 Fiction contest (July 3) is the same old schlock. If you received 863 entries, why did you have to use the same few authors multiple times? Your editorial blurb claims that “you just can’t dispute the instinctive, irrational glow that quality reading material produces.” It’s too […]

Posted inOpinion

Avoid animal fat for health reasons

The June 12 issue of the Santa Maria Sun featured an extensive article on beef production (“Here’s the beef”), including a reference to cholesterol and a claim that the American Heart Association “has determined that cholesterol is controlled by hereditary factors and genetics.” This is only part of the story and is very misleading. A […]

Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture

Arts Briefs

Central Coast band takes Refuge at MotionZ Central Coast middle school band Refuge will perform from 5 to 7 p.m. on July 13 at MotionZ in Santa Maria. The band will take the stage to play originals as well as covers. Though they’re still young, the band members have been gigging since they were 10 […]

Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture

Musical roots

His name may ring a bell because of his acting credits, but Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. is also accomplished at striking another note—with his musical composition. The actor’s violin sonata will be part of a benefit performance for the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society, which will also feature a violin sonata by his father, violinist Efrem Zimbalist, […]

Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture

Mixed metal

When it comes to painting, Barbara Alloway can’t help herself. She likens the art to tying her shoes: It’s something that has to be done, although she admits, “Tying your shoes isn’t as much fun.” Alloway is a Central Coast abstract painter who likes to mix acrylics, metals, and foil. Her collections have been shown […]

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