My first exposure to Jerry Douglas live was a series of concerts T-Bone Burnett produced at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica in the mid 1990s. The shows featured a who’s who of American roots music, including the two other rising stars of the Nashville Renaissance, fiddler Mark O’Connor and bassist Edgar Meyer. Even in that sacrosanct musical community, Douglas’s dobro skills were breathtaking.
At first, Andrew Ruiz was relieved. But his relief quickly gave way to frustration, followed by anger. Ruiz was initially happy not to take the witness stand, not to answer difficult questions about a painful past. And content not to endure the agonies of a protracted trial with no certain outcome. A rawboned man with sad, piercing eyes, elaborately tattooed arms, and a direct, deliberate manner, Ruiz is one of 508 men and women who recently settled claims of sexual abuse with the Los Angles Archdiocese, which presides over Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles county Catholic churches.
A chunky, undressed Elvis impersonator in a man-bra and lady’s britches. That’s the symbolic soul of a month-long exhibit of “new and used” photographs by Santa Barbara native Matt Straka at Samy’s Camera on Chapala Street ’til October.
Stanford University, the University of New Mexico, and the University of Texas all earned top honors in Santa Barbara-based Hispanic Business magazine’s ranking of top universities for Hispanics.
For parents, there’s nothing more gratifying than the white-hot itch of outrage. A hearty helping of peeved exasperation, coupled with a leisurely blame-laying session, can be such a delightful distraction from our own inequities as muddle-headed mothers and flawed fathers.
A small brush fire broke out on 8/30 in a citrus orchard above Romero Canyon Road in Montecito.
Six years after terrorism struck the United States, questions are still being raised and the answers seem more elusive than ever. In 9/11: Press for Truth, five of the 12 members of the Family Steering Committee-all relatives of people killed in the 2001 attacks-tell their heartbreaking stories and plead their case for why they believe 9/11 still needs to be closely studied. 9/11: Press for Truth will screen for free at Jefferson Hall (1525 Santa Barbara St.) at 7:15 p.m. Children must be 12 years or older.
Luckily, in Santa Barbara, we can often put our money where our stomach and heart are and support fine causes while eating and drinking incredibly well. Such is the case with Bread & Roses, the community dinner and auction that supports the Fund for Santa Barbara. Now in its 14th year, this event helps the fund support projects working for social, economic, environmental, and political change.
With the start of another school year upon us, Jennifer Ja Birchim of Loa Tree (loatree.com) offers some suggestions for ways to make your kid’s lunch more eco-friendly. Instead of brown paper bags and Ziplocs, invest in some reusable containers for your child’s lunch. The Laptop Lunch Bento Box is a good choice: made of lead-free plastic, the kit comes complete with single-serving reusable containers and utensils.
Like a beam of sun shining down on me, last Friday, a beacon of joy landed in my inbox. Here’s what it said: “Even with Alzheimer’s, Ronald Reagan had his lucid moments while president.” Citing Reagan’s diary, from an entry dated May 17, 1986, as the source, the email went on to read: “A moment I’ve been dreading, George [VP George H.W. Bush] brought his ne’er-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job.
