Comment 1 07.28.05

Andrea Harbour

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COMMENTEDITORIALWHO’S WHO ATTHE BEACONEDITOR & PUBLISHER Fiesta just gets better with ageWilliam M. [e-mail] 81st Old Spanish Days has something for everyone — including youREPORTERSLeslie [e-mail] here’s a lot to celebrate on the at Earl Warren Showgrounds the We think you’ll agree that his plain-Daniel Okamura South Coast and, indeed, we evening of Aug. 4. Your family will defi- wrapped solution is dazzling in [e-mail] T seem to throw parties for every- nitely get a bang for the buck there. scope, innovation and end-result.CONTRIBUTORSWendy Allen, Jonathan thing — from the longest day of the For more details, see page 13 or visitAll in all, there are tons of things forAlpeyrie, David Bacon, Kali year to Italian street painting. But it all your entire family to do and enjoy. our database site.Bennett, Stacy Bloodworth,begins with the traditions of old. Enter We’ll see you out there. Viva la Fiesta!Joan Bolton, Christine Brallier,Daryl Cagle, Sally Cappon, Hal Old Spanish Days, our celebration of Opportunity knocks Conklin, Robert DeLaurentis, the region’s rich cultural heritage. A plainwrap solution Dessica DeVore, Bob Dickey, abe Saglie and his wife, Renée, haveThe 81st annual Fiesta takes overRebecca Ditmore, Andrea t took longer than any of us imagined G been great friends of the Beacon andWILLIAM M. MACFADYEN town next week and, in case you don’tEstrada, Erin Graffy de Garcia ...

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• Publié par: Phoiv
• Nombre de lectures: 70
• Langue: English

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COMMENT

Board decision correct

K

udos are due Santa Barbara

school board member Bob Noel

and the other trustees who joined

him in opposing the proposal to

eliminate honors programs at local

junior highs.

While well-intentioned, the

proposal would have resulted in

diminution of educational programs

and less socioeconomic integration.

Honors classes are among the best

integrated, socioeconomically, at the

junior highs.

Junior high principals did not do

their homework on this important

issue, nor did they involve parents

and the community in the decision-

making process. Rather, they

attempted to make a decision by fiat.

Ability-based grouping is the best

form of grouping for all students —

higher-, middle- or lower-achieving.

Standards for lower-achieving

students should be raised, but those

standards would not have been

raised by eliminating honors classes.

— LANNY EBENSTEIN

SANTA BARBARA

Whose party is it?

T

he Democratic Party includes

many fine and decent people

who care deeply about our country.

To those good people I regret to say

that I have lost faith in your party

because I feel it is now dominated

by those with only a political agenda.

I have no problem with those who

oppose President Bush and his position

on the war in Iraq, but I do have

problems with those who use the

war only for political purposes. For

example, through the media I hear

Democratic leaders daily asserting

that Bush “lied about weapons of

mass destruction in Iraq and took us

to war under false pretenses” — yet

many prominent Democrats were of

the same opinion.

I love our two-party system and I

can only encourage the many well-

meaning members of the Democratic

Party to reflect on the present

leadership. It’s not likely I will vote

for a Democrat again while such

men and women are the movers and

shakers of the party. I have total

respect for those who genuinely

oppose Bush and the Iraq war, and

for the Democratic Party in general,

but I have little respect for its leaders.

Bring on Democrats like Sens.

Diane Feinstein and Joe Lieberman.

While I don’t agree with them on

many issues, I respect them and

could vote for them because they

present consistent and

understandable views on important

issues relating to our country.

— SANDERSON M. SMITH

CARPINTERIA

Grateful military mom

T

hank you to the Beacon for

supporting our troops. It means

a lot to the families who have loved

ones serving in our armed forces.

After four years of active duty, I

am happy to ask you to remove my

son, Army Sgt. Timothy Katje, from

your Defending Us active duty list.

Thank you again for your support

of our troops.

— TRISH KATJE

SANTA BARBARA

T

here’s a lot to celebrate on the

South Coast and, indeed, we

seem to throw parties for every-

thing — from the longest day of the

year to Italian street painting. But it all

begins with the traditions of old. Enter

Old Spanish Days, our celebration of

the region’s rich cultural heritage.

The 81st annual Fiesta takes over

town next week and, in case you don’t

know, there are several events you

won’t want to miss.

Our signature parades, of course, are

impressive (El Desfile Histórico) and

adorable (El Desfile De los Niños). The

two mercados — at De la Guerra Plaza

and MacKenzie Park — are spectacles

in and of themselves, with a steady beat

of entertainment and crammed full of

food vendors, nearly all of which are

benefiting local nonprofit groups.

For a far more intimate treat, venture

over to Casa Cantina, the Santa Barbara

Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual

party at Casa De la Guerra, or Our Lady

of Guadalupe’s charming mercado. And

there’s nothing that is more hometown

hospitality than the traditional Downtown

Kiwanis Club Pancake Breakfast.

For the first time, the Professional

Bull Riders Challenger Tour will visit

the Fiesta Stock Horse Show & Rodeo

at Earl Warren Showgrounds the

evening of Aug. 4. Your family will defi-

nitely get a bang for the buck there.

All in all, there are tons of things for

your entire family to do and enjoy.

We’ll see you out there. Viva la Fiesta!

A plainwrap solution

I

t took longer than any of us imagined

but the Beacon’s new Hot Property

ad-creation tool is up and running.

Thanks to Eric Valinsky and Keith

Carlson, our friends and partners at

Plainwrap Solutions, real estate agents

can now log in to our database at

http://online.scbeacon.com and create

a virtual property listing ad all by

themselves. Beacon customers also can

create a PDF of their ad for use as fliers

to advertise their open houses.

The entire process is really quite simple

— if I can do it, anyone can — and we

designed it so busy agents can quickly

change and update their information,

which should allow them more time to

attend to their clients’ needs. In addition,

we can offer a lower price for our

production so it’s a win there, as well.

Valinsky did all the heavy lifting on

this project, taking my vague idea and

figuring out how to make it a reality.

We think you’ll agree that his plain-

wrapped solution is dazzling in its

scope, innovation and end-result.

For more details, see page 13 or visit

our database site.

Opportunity knocks

G

abe Saglie and his wife, Renée, have

been great friends of the Beacon and

important contributors to our cause.

Saglie’s Once Upon a Vine column,

which has been a fixture as a feature in

these pages almost from our start, is

one of our most popular elements. His

restaurant reviews have developed

quite a loyal readership, as well.

As you now know from our Daniel

Okamura’s interview, the Saglies are off

to a new job and a fantastic

opportunity in New York. We’ll miss

them terribly but will still be keeping in

touch through his weekly wine column.

With his departure, however,

you

have

an opportunity, too. We’re looking for

someone to pick up his pen — and knife

and fork — and review our local dining

scene. We’re accepting article auditions

now. For more details, see page 28.

Bill Macfadyen can be contacted at

[e-mail].

EDITORIAL

OVER

TO

YOU

JEFF

PARKER

Fiesta just gets better with age

81st Old Spanish Days has something for everyone — including you

WILLIAM M. MACFADYEN

EDITOR

&

PUBLISHER

www.cagle.com

WHO’S WHO AT

T

HE

B

EACON

EDITOR

&

PUBLISHER

William M. Macfadyen

[e-mail]

NEWS

REPORTERS

Leslie Dinaberg

[e-mail]

Daniel Okamura

[e-mail]

CONTRIBUTORS

Wendy Allen, Jonathan

Alpeyrie, David Bacon, Kali

Bennett, Stacy Bloodworth,

Joan Bolton, Christine Brallier,

Daryl Cagle, SallyCappon, Hal

Conklin, Robert DeLaurentis,

Dessica DeVore, Bob Dickey,

Rebecca Ditmore, Andrea

Estrada, Erin Graffy de Garcia,

Kim Hernandez, Harrison Heyl,

Faina Khait, Jennifer Lebell,

Ron Levine, Shelby MacDonald,

Melissa Marsted, Alistair Mills,

Alex Mousouris, Sheila Murphy,

Edee Olson, Lauren Roberts,

Julia Rodgers, Cathy Rowell,

Gabe Saglie, Tracy Shawn,

Nancy Shobe, Barbara Sims-

Bell, Karen Lee Stevens, Susan

Strong, Nancy Tubiolo, Denny

Wayman, Randy Weiss

ADVERTISING

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Cynthia Mahoney

[e-mail]

SALES ASSOCIATES

Leslie Manderson

[e-mail]

OFFICE

ART DIRECTOR

Andrea Russell

[e-mail]

OFFICE MANAGER

Sigrid Lipsett

[e-mail]

INTERNS

Jennifer Abella, Julia

Barbosa, Tracy Chamberlin,

Danielle Fleischman,

Will Macfadyen, Grant Smith,

Julie Wootton

GOT SOMETHING TO ADD?

We welcome letters and

essays on topics of public

interest. Letters must be

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must include your name,

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Barbara 93102.

MISSION STATEMENT:

The

South Coast Beacon is

dedicated to publishing an

indispensable weekly

newspaper that entertains,

informs and inspires our

readers while providing

value and benefit to our

advertisers. We accept that

our mission is a privilege, a

responsibility and a source

of competitive strength —

and we would have it no

other way.

See more cartoons at Daryl Cagle’s Web site, www.cagle.com

10

THE SOUTH COAST BEACON

JULY 28, 2005

www.scbeacon.com