Tag archives: covid

I have this story I tell people to explain how I became interested in biology. It goes like this: When I was young, I watched Star Trek with my father. I liked to imagine myself zooming around, going to new planets, wearing my space-tech-fabric blue uniform (blue was, of course, my favorite color). There was […]

The Real Hoax Dear Mr. Hazard, I think deplorable is an apt title for your article regarding Trump, and your willingness to accept his ignorance by denying the existence of COVID “The Hoax.”  How many deaths and illnesses have occurred because of this denial? How about his 20,000 lies certified by fact checkers over the […]

It’s hard to believe that this decade (and by decade, I mean this past year) is finally coming to an end. However, for those of us fortunate enough to have made it through, it does seem we are about to see the backside of the most tumultuous, trying, and confusing year in memory. 2020, don’t […]

The Governor Who Stole Christmas The Board of Supervisors approved sending a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom at last Tuesday’s meeting. I was elated to hear Adams and Lavagnino lead a stronger pushback with the idea of keeping our County evaluated separately. However, Santa Barbara County needs to take even a stronger stand with a […]

I am saddened to hear New York’s iconic 21 Club is closing its doors after 90 years in business given the coronavirus pandemic. The five-story midtown Manhattan eatery, with its famous colorful jockey figures decorating the West 52nd Street facade, was a haven for the rich and famous since it opened in 1930 as a […]

If a sudden affliction of acute flaccid myelitis resulting in becoming a quadriplegic wasn’t enough to stop Santa Barbaran Grace Fisher from pursuing her musical dreams, the coronavirus pandemic couldn’t contain her from continuing her community Christmas celebration. This year’s Winter Music Showcase from her Grace Fisher Foundation – which was pre-recorded using proper protocols […]

Many of you are familiar with our Hands Across Montecito project – where Montecito neighbors are partnering as part of a Montecito Association initiative to help the unsheltered in our community find resources and housing. We have wonderful partnerships on this community-based and -supported effort, including our Sheriff’s and Montecito Fire departments and City Net […]

Ninety-two percent of Westmont graduates from the class of 2020 have found a job or are attending graduate school (or planning to attend) despite a national economy sickened by the coronavirus. “What an encouraging achievement for recent graduates in the midst of a pandemic,” says Paul Bradford, director of Westmont’s Career Opportunities and Vocational Exploration […]

Retail shops were some of the first businesses to close when the pandemic hit. Yet they’ve slowly opened up inch by inch as regulations allowed, finding new ways to connect with customers. The silver lining to the world’s current state is a forced creativity it has spurred in us all. For business owners, the pandemic […]

Three years ago, a few of us attended Brad Nack’s 21st annual 100 percent Reindeer Art Show – a perpetually packed reception at Roy where folks jostle each other to get first dibs at the new paintings – decked out in N95 respirator masks to shield against inhaling smoke and particles from the then still-growing […]

Just hours into what is hopefully our final lockdown order, it’s deja vu all over again. I’m worried about my mother in Los Angeles and my in-laws cooped up in assisted living at Maravilla. As we head into the holidays, I’m missing my family and friends, I’m feeling bad for my kids, and I’m concerned […]

Every November, I look forward to the Holiday Home Tour in nearby Ojai that benefits the annual Ojai Music Festival, now entering its 75th year. Organized by the OMF Women’s Committee, this year, due to COVID, they have done a terrific job of creating a video tour of three lovely homes. Narrated by architect/designers Steve […]

Shock and Law In an article in MJ’s Dec 3-10 issue, Rinaldo S. Brutoco describes the recent Supreme Court decision in Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v Cuomo as astounding, shocking, incredible, and “out of left field.” The only thing shocking to this former trial lawyer is Mr. Brutoco’s total misstatement of the facts of […]

This COVID dominated period our global human society is going through gives me a partial sense of what it must have been like during one of the six great prior plagues humanity has endured and survived. The “good news” is that we have the opportunity to choose to put this terrible human tragedy behind us. […]

A truly astounding event occurred this past week. It was both unanticipated and shocking at the same time. It was totally “out of left field,” and yet I believe it is an unfortunate harbinger of things to come. What was this incredible decision? It was the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down New York’s restrictions […]

When the pandemic forced interaction to head to the internet, UCSB’s Theater Department quickly picked up the virtual ball and ran with it. Not only classes did move online but the Launch Pad project quickly pivoted to mark its 15th anniversary milestone by having previous participants in the play reading series contribute short pieces to […]

Santa Barbara creative marketing agency Oniracom is giving back to the community during the COVID-19 crisis, particularly during the holiday season. The company, whose studio facilities are located near the Funk Zone, is providing at-cost pandemic friendly media space and live stream technology solutions. “We are all part of an incredible community that it’s our […]

Richie’s Barber Shop has held its annual toy drive for kids for nine years and this time it has added an element for our lockdown times: adopting a pet from the local animal shelter. The shop’s annual Christmas tree is decorated with photos of the pets for adoption, and the American Flag stands proudly at […]

The Arts Fund has announced that its Funk Zone Art Walk is back, albeit in a reimagined, COVID-19-safe format, which, of course, means virtually. The Funk Zone Art Walk Artist Spotlight is slated to take place over the next three months, when the normal in-person, bi-monthly gathering in the thriving artist studio, gallery, and boutique […]

In normal times, opera can be an emotional experience, perhaps even a cathartic one, for members of the audience when the music meets the drama with just the right note. But the upcoming Concerts In Your Car version of Carmen has proven to be quite a tear-jerker just for the creative team even before the […]