In certain moments we manage, through the quality of our attention, to transform the simplest of things-our breath, a rock, the sound of water-into complex miracles. While we are in them, such moments seem to be the stuff of which our lives ought to be made. For most of us, such moments are elusive and come less frequently than we might like. What if there were an abundance of such moments waiting for you, and you knew where to find them?
Blast! is the Cinderella of the marching band world. What started several years ago as a youth drum corps in Indiana has since expanded its repertoire and undergone several incarnations to become one of the most popular touring shows in the country. Next week, Blast! springs to life on the Central Coast as part of the Arlington Theatre’s Broadway series.
The Goleta Water District made a discreet retreat from a much anticipated showdown with angry agricultural interests later this month by dropping its proposal to sharply increase the rates charged to agricultural customers who expand their water consumption beyond their historical use. District officials argued they were targeting McMansion owners and dilettante farmers who abused their agricultural meters to water vast lawns for less than the district’s actual cost. But many farmers contended the changes would price them right out of business, and district officials were bracing for a major showdown on March 24. Instead, the district will conduct an exhaustive parcel-by-parcel inventory of water use, and then decide what rate changes might be appropriate.
White sprays of Ceanothus blanket the hillsides, lupines bloom along the sides of the road, and a hike up any of our local creeks and canyons will reveal even more lovely reminders that spring in the South Coast area arrives well before the official date of the equinox later this month.
Bruce Willis, Mos Def, David Morse, and Jenna Stern star in a film written by Richard Wenk and directed by Richard Donner.
An entertaining-enough action flick for Hollywood’s bland days of late winter, 16 Blocks is structured like an elaborate math problem. Specific plot coordinates give the film its narrative structure: as the promo teaser says, we’ve got “one witness, 118 minutes, and 16 blocks of N.Y.C. to navigate.” Add to the equation one bad cop going virtuous (Bruce Willis), who pulls superhuman stunts to get his witness (Mos Def) to the grand jury on time. Even in morning rush-hour traffic in Manhattan, that shouldn’t be a problem, except that a gun-toting cabal of ¼ber-bad cops (led by suavely villainous David Morse) is eager to kill said witness, lest his testimony would expose a nasty ring of police corruption.
Rather than backing any single candidate to replace former Santa Barbara Coastal Commissioner Dan Secord, county supervisors opted to endorse four and leave it to Governor Schwarzenegger to sort them out. Given the strategic importance of the post, the supervisors’ deliberations were strikingly casual. To the extent there was any frontrunner, it was San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Katcho Achadjian, a businessman and moderate Republican. Thrown into the mix at the last minute were two tart-tongued conservativesCarpinteria City Councilmember Joe Armendariz and Santa Maria City Councilmember Marty Mariscaland one slow-growther: Goleta City Councilmember Cynthia Brock.
Santa Barbara water warrior Carolee Krieger sued a Ventura County water agency responsible for supplying water to the Newhall Ranch development, charging it lacks the reliable supply needed for the development to go forward. Krieger asserted that the water district is promising “paper water” for the development, which has approvals to build 22,000 new homes in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Water district officials strongly dispute Krieger’s claims. Kriegerwho unsuccessfully opposed importing State Water to Santa Barbara 15 years agohas since started California Water Impact Network, which was involved in recent litigation that limited the amount of water that can be pumped out of the San Francisco Bay delta and the San Joaquin River to Southern California cities.
A tow truck and service truck began roaming local freeways during rush hours this week, signaling the launch of the Santa Barbara Freeway Service Patrol (FSP), which aims to expedite traffic flow by quickly clearing stalled cars and removing obstructions. Breakdowns, accidents, and debris account for half of all freeway congestion, according to California Highway Patrol officials and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governmentsthe two groups collaborating on the FSP program. Assemblymember Pedro Nava helped secure state grant funding for the $264,000-per-year program. The trucks, contracted by Bob Holzer Towing, will be on duty weekday mornings from 6:30-9:30 between the Ventura County line and Milpas Street, and evenings from 4:30-7:30 between Patterson Avenue and Padaro Lane.
ANGER MANAGEMENT: Violinist and fiddler Darol Anger began the contemporary string-band movement three decades ago. He helped mastermind the incorporation of stringed instruments into contemporary styles and genres such as jazz, folk, Cajun, and “newgrass.”
The next time you get a migraine, or even a spell of vertigo, don’t reach for the Tylenol-instead, grab a harp. Let its vibrations pulse through your chest and shoulders while its celestial tunes calm all your anxieties. You may be surprised at how much better you feel. That’s the goal of the new Healing Harps program at the Santa Barbara Braille Institute. Well that, and sharing in an age-old tradition that goes back to ancient Babylon.
