August 2007

Books By Sam Kornell

Journalist Matthew Rothschild Discusses His New Book

In his new book, You Have No Rights: Stories of America in an Age of Repression, journalist and Progressive magazine editor Matthew Rothschild recounts the case of Maher Arar. A Syrian-born Canadian computer engineer, Arar was detained in 2002 by FBI agents during a stopover at JKF airport in New York. Believing him a member of Al Qaeda, the FBI sent Arar to Syria, where he was kept in the basement of a prison-in a room not much larger than a coffin-and beaten and tortured routinely for 10 months and 10 days.

Living By Indy Staff

101 Chihuahuas

Just as the movie 101 Dalmatians encouraged an overpopulation of Dalmatians, the popularization of Chihuahuas through their portrayal in Legally Blonde and as an accessory to Paris Hilton seems to be creating a similar fate for the tiny breed. The Santa Barbara County Animal Shelter (5473 Overpass Rd., 965-7365) currently has close to a dozen of these petite companion dogs.

Film & TV By Indy Staff

The Bourne Ultimatum

Written in the 1980s, during the last flush of CIA paranoia, Robert Ludlum’s thrillers attempt to investigate the onion-like layers of super agent Jason Bourne, played onscreen by the mull-faced Matt Damon, which makes the examination a bit like ascribing subtle flavor levels to an animal cracker.

Arts & Entertainment By Charles Donelan

La Bohme

At the height of Fiesta and in the heart of downtown, a large audience gathered at the Lobero to participate in a different kind of spectacle-the opera La Bohme, as performed by the Music Academy of the West. The contrast between the interior of the theater and the revelry outside in the streets was not as great as one might think. Opera audiences are among the most festive and demonstrative in all of music, and this one was no exception.

Living By Lee Heller, who lives in Summerland in the company of rescue dogs Shadow, Addie, and Teddy; rescued cats Charlotte, William, Jacinda, Tux, Jade, and Charley; and an array of foster kittens.

In Praise of Rescue Dogs (and Cats)

We know it, of course: Our values and desires are driven by consumer culture. New is best, “new and improved” better yet. “Previously owned” is code for second-rate.

Living By Shannon Kelley

Indulgent Peeps

Picture it: Fiesta Wednesday. Only I’m not fighting the crowds, trying desperately to push my way to the front of the churros line or claim a patch of the lawn at the Mission. Nor am I getting a cascarone smashed onto my head. On the contrary. I am viewing my city from afar, perched high atop the Hotel Andaluc-a, sipping a glass of chilled sauvignon blanc, while a handsome young man named Perry rubs my feet.

Events By Indy Staff

Hot Indie Nights

For those looking to hit the dance floor to something other than Top 40 jams and cover band beats, Indochine and Zelo Restaurant offer up weekly indie music nights.

Theater By Elena Gray-Blanc

The Comedy of Errors

Some theater companies use outdoor venues merely as quirkier settings for the same old thing, ignoring the potential of a more relaxed crowd and an expanded stage. Not so for Shakespeare Santa Barbara, as the group amply demonstrated with its new production of The Comedy of Errors.

Visual Arts By Beth Taylor-Schott

Perception and Reflection

There was a time, and it lasted for centuries, when comparing painting and poetry made things clearer to everyone. For most of the Renaissance and Early Modern period, the idea that painting resembled poetry seemed to create purpose for and legitimize the visual arts. That time is long over.

Living By Alecia Evans

An Ounce of Prevention

You know the old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”? Well, it’s true for animals as well as humans. Just as acupuncture, organic foods, dietary supplements, chiropractic care, meditation, massage, and preventative medicine are beneficial for people, so they are for your animals. The following is a list of alternative treatments that are available to help your animal maintain or regain its health

Month: August 2007