On an overcast morning at the Salinas Community School, a group of high schoolers dressed in shades of black and gray are working on their running stitch. Colorful sunsets, peace signs, doves, eagles and hearts are among the many designs being embroidered, drawn, and ironheat transferred onto fabric squares. The completed squares, or blocks, are stacked neatly on teacher Chris … [Read more...] about Building Blocks
Destination:*
There is service, and then there is Peninsula service. Attentive, yet discreet, the first-class touches of the upscale worldwide hotel chain make everyone feel like a movie star. Especially, perhaps, at The Peninsula's Beverly Hills location, located near Rodeo Drive, where actual celebs often frequent the hotel. (But don't expect the staff to point them out to you. Paparazzi … [Read more...] about Destination:*
A Gratifying Ride
There is a moment not far into Clint Eastwood’s most recent movie, “Gran Torino,” where the audience sits up straighter. It’s the first of many times in the movie when Eastwood reaches for a gun. Already gripped by Eastwood’s brilliant portrayal of bitter Korean War vet Walt Kowalski, and layered subconsciously on top of all his other satisfyingly violent roles, the viewer … [Read more...] about A Gratifying Ride
Make Us Laugh
We need funny.We need it so extra very much super badly right now. What we don’t need any more of is sad or scary. Yet that’s what we are inundated with every morning as we slurp our lukewarm coffee while hunched over newspaper photos of angry or terrified faces reacting to crashing stock prices and foreclosed homes, and hear more pundits on TV blabbering on how to still … [Read more...] about Make Us Laugh
Don’t Mess with Texas
She’s been spoofed for her “Chicken of the Sea” comments: “Is it chicken, or is it tuna?” (Although it seems clear her “dumb blonde” act really was just an act.) She’s been dragged through the celebrity magazine circuit for her tumultuous love life (she’s currently dating Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, after dating singer John Mayer and after divorcing singer/actor Nick … [Read more...] about Don’t Mess with Texas