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Cover Story By Indy Staff | Thu Aug 02, 2007 | 6:00am

2007 Fiesta Guide

Even though August marks the final countdown of summer vacation, at least the month kicks off with a blastFiesta, that is. To help guide you through the miasma of the long weekend celebration, we have put together our annual Fiesta issue. In addition to event listings, we’ve included a timeline and history of Old Spanish Days; Pablo de la Guerra’s groundbreaking 1855 speech calling for the rights of native Californios; facts about the largest horse parade in the country; and a story about flamenco music’s roots.

Â¡Bienvenidos!

Business By Ethan Stewart | Thu Jul 26, 2007 | 12:00pm

Showdown Over Wide
Open Spaces

This year, for the first time in human history, more people will live in urban areas than in rural lands. Though the tipping point will most likely be reached-or perhaps already has been-without fanfare, its significance cannot be overlooked. With this new age comes a whole new set of rules, values, and views that threaten to leave many of our most celebrated traditions behind as we work to reconcile past methods of survival with a less agrarian lifestyle. Here in the United States, with the ever-growing beast of urban sprawl spilling from cities toward the horizon, the rural, agricultural spaces that were the societal backbone of previous generations are fast becoming zigzags of highways connecting suburbs to shopping centers.

Business By Martha Sadler | Thu Jul 19, 2007 | 12:00pm

Inventors Save Planet

Now that just about everybody but Exxon has finally admitted that global warming is a reality, the opportunity to make money is obvious. From the labs of multinational corporations to suburban garages, inventors all over the globe are trying to find ways to rescue the world and get rich doing it.
Santa Barbara, which likes to think of itself as the birthplace of the environmental movement, is holding its own pretty well in this contest. The array of astonishing inventions pouring out of UCSB now includes film-thin photovoltaic cells as well as super-efficient LED lights. In the world beyond academia as well there is a groundswell of green innovators, and people eager to cultivate them.

Visual Arts By Elizabeth Schwyzer | Thu Jul 12, 2007 | 12:00pm

SBMA Exposes Santa Barbara Photographers

Photography is at once art’s most literal and most deceptive medium. The camera began as a recording device, designed to capture scenes as they appear to the naked eye. But in the hands of more than a century of artists, the instrument has become as expressive as the paintbrush, producing images that are as consciously composed and intentionally controlled as those in any painting. Yet no matter how thoroughly they have been manipulated, photographs remain the result of the mechanical exposure of some surface to light reflected from a subject.

Books By Indy Staff | Thu Jul 05, 2007 | 12:00pm

Summer Reading 2007

Even if you’re not a nonstop reader, chances are you’ll set aside a few quiet hours to dip into a book this summer, and our Summer Reading Issue is designed to get you in the mood. Start off with excerpts from Tom Kendrick’s captivating memoir Bluewater Gold Rush, which chronicles the action-packed rise and fall of the Santa Barbara sea urchin industry. Turn to page 29 for an introduction to Holocaust survivor Nina Morecki and the UCSB grad who wrote a book about her. We’ve also included an interview with area poet and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Christopher Buckley, a tribute to the city’s outgoing Poet Laureate, Barry Spacks, and a survey of new nonfiction just hitting the shelves. We have also got summer reading lists from some celebrated authors who call Santa Barbara home, including T.C. Boyle, Pico Iyer, and our very own Nick Welsh.

Cover Story By Captain Timothy Fessier and Michael Fessier Jr. | Thu Jun 28, 2007 | 12:00pm

Letters from a Santa Barbara Soldier in Iraq

Tim, my son, had just recently arrived in Baghdad when he sent me this report:
They have a new kind of explosive device here that cuts through our armor. In my armor, I am a tight fit in my truck, and as we are driving down the road, I find myself very conscious of where my arms are. These new devices always take off some part of you, usually a leg or two. The other day, a driver lost both legs above the knee and an arm. So, there you are, driving down the road, trying to figure out how to reduce the number of appendages you will lose when the bomb goes off.

Arts & Entertainment By Indy Staff | Thu Jun 21, 2007 | 12:00pm

Summer Arts Preview

Taking the Solstice Parade theme of “Stars” as its cue, this summer’s art season promises galaxies full of everything the creative astronomer could possibly desire. From the blazing musical glory of John Star Wars Williams at the Santa Barbara Bowl to the delicate verbal magic of Shakespeare in the De la Guerra courtyard, we will be tempted by outdoor entertainments of every magnitude. Wherever you enjoy your art this season-indoors or out-remember to take up summer’s offer and make the night sky your constant companion. The stars are close. Just lean your head back and look up.

Travel By Indy Staff | Thu Jun 14, 2007 | 12:00pm

‘Round and ‘Round We Go

We may never know the name of the ancient Sumerian who invented the wheel in Mesopotamia some 7,000 years ago, but we’re pretty sure nothing’s been the same since. The most crucial component of how we transport ourselves and our stuff, the wheel is an undeniable cornerstone of human existence, an invention that encouraged trade, enhanced agriculture, expanded civilization’s range, and paved the way for the modern world. Whether you’re pushing watermelons in a wheelbarrow (one wheel) or hauling refrigerators in a big rig (18 wheels), there comes a time when you’ve got to bow down and worship these round, rolling objects.

Cover Story By Sarah Hammill | Thu Jun 07, 2007 | 12:00pm

The Price of Redemption

Here’s the inside story of Phillip Gladden, a former meth addict and alleged child molester-turned-preacher who has come to Santa Barbara to reveal God’s plan. Some say the registered sex offender is a healer of epic proportions and that he speaks the word of God, so The Indy‘s Sarah Hammill, herself a practicing Christian, decided to spend a revealing year in Gladden’s evangelical world.

Arts & Entertainment By Indy Staff | Thu May 31, 2007 | 12:00pm

Footloose & Fancy Free

Things haven’t been the same since good old Thomas Edison figured out how to light up the night. The rhythms of life have been forever changed by that electrifying discovery, with ever-increasing hordes of party people choosing to get down after sundown. Though I am pretty sure it wasn’t his intention, Edison’s big turn-on was a stroke of genius that has since illuminated countless dance floor dreams and libation-soaked evenings.

Cover Story

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