Cultural Encounter
Central Asia Film Day
January’s SBIFF, February’s African Heritage Film Series, March’s Jewish Film Festival : for a town the size of Santa Barbara, we’ve got film festivals up the wazoo.
Recent Stories
The Blue Agave
After working up a small appetite discussing wedding photography, I asked for an appetizer menu and mulled over the choices. Though at first I was slightly dismayed by what seemed to be uncreative bar bites-have my taste buds been spoiled by our town’s uber creative chefs?
Mickey’s Malt Liquor
Maybe you were thinking this column would only be for the finer drinks in life. Nope. Even malt liquor and the 40 oz. bottle gets plays here.
Let’s Get Ready to Rally
On Wednesday, February 21, at noon in De la Guerra Plaza, hundreds of people are expected to show up to support the unionized newsroom staff of the Santa Barbara News-Press and call for owner Wendy McCaw to return ethical standards to her newspaper, rehire the reporters and editors wrongfully terminated, and remind her that owning a newspaper means caring about your community and acting like a responsible professional. Does Santa Barbara care enough to make this rally successful? We hope so. (Illustration by Bob Aul, for the OC Weekly.)
Mudkids Basementality
This Indianapolis hip-hop trio achieved some national recognition recently thanks to a Super Bowl anthem for the Colts called “Go Blue.” Their fourth album, Basementality, tastefully mixes smoothed out beats and smart lyrics for an album worth giving a listen.
Putting Africa in Santa Barbara
Putting Africa in Santa Barbara
The 8th Annual African Heritage Film Series Comes to Town
It’s a common observation by many an out-of-towner that Santa Barbara lacks a visible population of African Americans. But, explained Gwendolyn Hampton, who cofounded the S.B. African Heritage Film Series with her husband, Friday, back in 2000, “We are here. Just because there’s not quote-unquote a community or a neighborhood doesn’t mean we don’t exist.”
Bringing Back Banff
Conflict Tiger
A documentary directed by Sasha Snow; Asiemut, a documentary directed by Olivier Higgins and Melanie Carrier. Part of the Best of the 31st Annual Banff Mountain Film Festival, which screens on Tuesday, February 20, and Wednesday, February 21, at UCSB’s Campbell Hall.
Mountainous wilderness has always fascinated humankind, a species whose innate curiosity makes even the most remote regions ripe for exploration. The Banff Mountain Film Festival was started in 1976 as a testament to both that drive and the inhabitable landscapes themselves, and we’ve been lucky to enjoy a “Best Of” rundown every year at UCSB’s Campbell Hall.
Fired Editor May Hold Key to News-Press Bias
On Tuesday, Bob Guiliano – the editor who was fired on Friday, January 26 for “performance-related” reasons (not for attending Anna Davison’s goodbye party after she was fired, as was first reported) – filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. Then on Wednesday, the Teamsters were talking about filing another one as well, this time because News-Press attorney David Millstein barged into a Tuesday night union meeting, which is allegedly against federal law.
The News-Press Speaks (To Their Employees)
Today, Tuesday, February 13, the management of the News-Presssat down with their dwindling editorial staff and laid out their stance on the newspaper’s ongoing meltdown. The gist? That this is all a Teamsters tactic to undermine the newspaper and bring in the union, that the newspaper is actually doing better since it cleaned house, and that the community is tiring of the story. Here we present the related memo that was leaked to The Independent.
Wake Up Wendy (McCaw) Wednesday!
CORRECTION: The date of this protest, which is being organized by the community and not the former employees, is February 21, not February 14 as first reported. There will be a Valentine’s Day protest on February 14, but it will be the normal sort of protest that’s been happening for the past week. For many Santa Barbarans who once enjoyed reading an informative daily newspaper called the News-Press (whose website has also started majorly hiccuping today), Wednesday, February 21, will be the day to have their voices heard. That’s because on Wednesday, February 21, at noon, there’s a large protest being planned for De la Guerra Plaza, directly in front of the headquarters for the once esteemed, now internationally tarnished newspaper.
