This object that was once the rage tells delectable stories: here is an 1880s cruet stand. HU sends me a round, swiveling carousel of silver plate inset with five crystal cruets, topped by an elaborate silver figural handle featuring a nude putto. By the late 1880s every upper-middle-class and most middle-class aspirational families of the […]
Lea más“Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything must be said again.” – André Gide Our president just imposed a 25% tariff on imported goods from Mexico and Canada plus an additional 10% on China and unleashed a harmful and useless trade war. Tariffs are a […]
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From my kayak, there was no touching down on any beach on Vandenberg Air Force Base. This remote stretch of rugged Central California Coastline is off limits to Joe Public, even if the only member of the common man within the region was a salt-encrusted, sunscreen-smeared paddler in search of empty surf. I was paddling […]
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The Garden Of is one of my favorite vendors at the farmers market and right now they have some lovely turnips. The turnip is a root vegetable in the cruciferous family, just like broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts. They come in different colors such as purple, red, and green. The bulb as well as the […]
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“We’re not trying to put alcohol out of business,” says Vanessa Royle. “But there has been a big shift, generally, and more people are looking for non-alcoholic options in addition to alcoholic options.” Ms. Royle is a Santa Barbara entrepreneur who made the personal choice to quit drinking in May of 2020, just after COVID […]
Lea másRounding up millions of longtime residents, placing them in detention, and deporting them. Where have we heard this before? If you are not outraged by Trump targeting long-time immigrants, then you are not paying attention. Jews lived “undocumented” in limbo in Germany for centuries. Until they were granted citizenship in 1871. And had it taken […]
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There are people (you may be one of them) who believe that there must always be a reason. By their standards, God has his own reasons for everything that happens, even if they are not obvious to us. It is comforting to believe in such a reasonable God. Alfred Lord Tennyson, who had been Poet […]
Lea másOkay, my version probably won’t do well on the hip-hop music charts, but I think it will resonate with some readers on the hip-lumbar charts. It all started one morning at breakfast when my wife said: “My back is killing me.” Being a sympathetic guy, I suggested she call the police and report a sacroiliac […]
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It all started in 1967 in New Jersey on the famous Atlantic City Boardwalk. That’s where Joe Schweke’s parents, Rose and Sam Schweke, opened Belrose Galleries, selling a variety of objets d’art, fine jewelry, and antiques. “I grew up in and amongst opulent and rare and beautiful objects at a young age,” Joe shared, speaking […]
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The world knows and loves Rick Steves – our shared Global Citizen whose dispatches from the Olde World edify and ennoble. Let’s imagine Rick. His blue button-down shirt is neatly tucked into dark blue jeans, his brown leather shoes are well-worn, pliant, and have thick clod-hopper soles, his inimitably cheery baby blues smile from behind […]
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Drawing on his experience, Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe will share the power of life’s crucibles – those pivotal moments of trial and triumph – that have defined his personal and professional life and leadership. This free Westmont Downtown Lecture, The Crucibles That Shape Us: Navigating the Defining Challenges of Leadership, begins at 5:30 pm […]
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Westmont’s 36th annual Mathematics Field Day features about 100 students from eight regional high schools in a friendly competition Saturday, Feb. 8, at 1 pm in Winter Hall. The event includes college bowls with buzzers, written exams and Chalk Talks with student presentations. This year the Chalk Talk, a 10-12-minute presentation, is about base systems, […]
Lea más(photos by Brad Elliott) Westmont baseball celebrates the start of a new season at home this weekend against San Francisco State on Feb 8-9. The Warriors, ranked No. 25 in the 2025 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II Poll, dropped two of three at Cal Poly Pomona last weekend in an exciting opening series. […]
Lea másWhen you first meet someone, your eyes naturally meet their gaze. But when I first met Avrae, my eyes went straight to his fingers: bejeweled to the nth degree in silver, catching stray fragments of Captain Fatty’s fluorescent lighting. That coupled with his long locks, cloaked garb, and sprawling hand-poked tattoos, was enough to convince […]
Lea másThank you for writing this brilliant piece, Robert Bernstein. It speaks to something in the current zeitgeist (malaise?) of our times. It’s not merely limited to printer software. Best word I’ve never heard of, before seeing it in your piece. It made my day, and I’m still laughing at how it can apply to almost […]
Lea másTinted Vehicle Window & Outstanding Warrant / 1100 block Coast Village Road – Wednesday, January 22, at 23:21 hours Suspect vehicle was observed traveling eastbound on Coast Village Rd. with tinted front windows in violation of CVC 26708(a)(1). Driver was contacted and a records check revealed he had an outstanding warrant. Driver was arrested and […]
Lea másMy annual Black History Month is launched for 2025 with Wendy Eley Jackson MFA; a filmmaker, TV Director/Producer, and college faculty. She is the Founder and Executive Producer of Auburn Avenue Films with 30 plus years of television broadcasting and film experience in the industry. Jackson’s TV/Film work spans SONY Pictures TV, Turner Broadcasting, and […]
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Let’s start my annual NAMM report right with this statement from John Mlynczak, NAMM President & CEO, “The 2025 NAMM Show will unite our global industry in support of those impacted in Los Angeles. We are coordinating relief efforts with our partners and are communicating with our members in L.A. on their needs. The NAMM […]
Lea másThe wait is over. SBIFF 40 is here, with a full day already in the rearview mirror. The festival covers a lot of ground with its impressive slate of awards and panels, and screenings of almost 200 films domestic and foreign, documentary and fiction, shorts and full-length features, animation and live action. What follows is […]
Lea másSurprisingly, SBIFF isn’t the only major festival in town this week, as Santa Barbara once again hosts the annual festival of festivals, aka FestForums. The three-day conference, now at the Mar Monte Hotel, brings together festival producers, organizers and industry leaders to network, collaborate, and pick up tips about events in a single location February […]
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