The ability to make fire is one characteristic which distinguishes Man from animals. Yet I must admit that, although I’ve always heard stories about the primitive methods by which this can be done, I deserve to rank with the animals – because I still don’t know how. In the days when even intelligent people smoked […]
It doesn’t take much to make me happy. One of my simplest joys is finding a coin in the street – usually a penny, but sometimes something larger, and, once in a great while, a paper dollar or more. I bring these treasures home, and put them in a row on top of a bureau. […]
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As we wave the flags and cheer for our kids at our annual 4th of July parade celebrating America’s call for independence, we cannot ignore the reality that we are governed by a county that is totally devoid of local long-range strategic planning for Montecito, including coordination of disparate community efforts. Under the present system […]
We don’t watch much TV, so we have a bare-bones cable package. We get the basic networks, some Spanish-speaking soap operas that involve a lot of yelling and scantily-clad women, and about 16 shopping channels all with excited people that probably “just barely” failed their screen tests for action shows, but who now dramatically sell […]
This may or may not need explaining, because it seems so intuitively obvious – but there appears to be a universal preference for smoothness, as opposed to roughness. The first example which jumps to mind is SKIN. Nobody wants to have, see, or feel, a skin with pimples, warts, or any other kind of bumps. […]
Q. That wrecked boat debris, anchored for months on Hammonds Beach, disappeared on Monday. Where did it go? A. After public “take note” shot across the bow, SB County First District Supervisor Das Williams grabbed the helm and swiftly found a crew to attack and defeat the Montecito beach marooned wreckage! Hammonds Beach is once […]
Q: Months ago, a number of vessels washed ashore on Montecito beaches, and there they still sit. Who’s responsible for ridding our beach of this gnarly debris? A. Wouldn’t it be grand if beached boats could just be stuffed into glass bottles? Well, no such luck! It seems, unless it’s toxic or dangerous, there aren’t […]
Throughout history men have made some bad choices by unwittingly clinging to the past, rather than recognizing and embracing an uncertain future. Here are a few memorable misjudgments: In 1903, the President of the Michigan Savings Bank warned Henry Ford’s lawyer, Horace Rackham, to protect his money. “The horse is here to stay but the […]
Is there such a thing as Fate, or Destiny? If so, apparently, I wasn’t destined to believe in it. On the other hand, I’m not a big fan of Free Will either. Within limits, it seems, we can make small choices. But overall, there’s simply too much going on for you or me to have […]
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You’ve probably heard the joke about the marriage broker who’s been telling his client all the attractive features of a prospective bride, but then adds, “There’s one more thing I’ve got to tell you: She’s just a little bit pregnant.” In at least this one respect, being “OK” is like being pregnant. You can’t be […]
Perhaps you have come across this recommended method for making a sculpture of an elephant: You just get a big block of rock, and chip away everything that doesn’t look like an elephant. More poetically, some great sculptor is said to have explained that the image he wished to create was already sleeping there inside […]
What makes a person great? If they are rich enough, are they great? What do we look for when we say they are wise? What does it mean when we say they make a difference? If we want to make a difference, are there models we can emulate or admire? I have been answering questions […]
Montecito Association (MA) members have identified three issues – water security, including lifetime independence from drought; effective recycling with re-use of wastewater; safety and security from future flood and debris flows – as critical issues facing Montecito that need to be explored and resolved as the community looks toward a better future. To resolve any […]
Recently, I was describing my gym experience to some friends. “You go to the gym?”“On a regular basis.”“Really? Then you must be doing sit-downs instead of sit-ups.”“Do people get upset when you hog the five-pound weights?”“Who wakes you up when you fall asleep on the exercise mat?” It was about then I began to regret […]
