A major break was announced yesterday in the investigation of what caused last week’s Tea Fire in Santa Barbara, a destructive wildfire that burned down or damaged over 200 homes. Initial reports suggest that 10 “college students” held a bonfire party in the foothills near the Tea Gardens, just outside the Westmont College campus. [...]

[Read the rest of this article →]

The last 16 hours have been difficult.  Despite the tragic loss of far too many homes, there is some room for optimism that the worst might be over.  I’m back in my lovely home, on the lower east side, after being evacuated last night due to a massive, terrifying wildfire raging in the hills just [...]

[Read the rest of this article →]

I feel so happy about President Barack Obama, but I’m devastated at the same time. It’s like I’m at a funeral and a really fun party at the same time. Surreal. I’ll have a lot more to say about the Obama victory soon, but right now I’m gutted by the apparent outcome [...]

[Read the rest of this article →]

Before getting to why I’m officially endorsing Senator Barack Obama, Democrat of Illinois, for President of the United States, please allow me to talk about the candidates and issues I’m supporting here in Santa Barbara, California.

I met Hannah-Beth Jackson very soon after I arrived in California. And over the past five years, I’ve enjoyed [...]

[Read the rest of this article →]

The quality of education at the University of California (where I have been a graduate student since 2003) is plummeting.  I hear from my friends at the California State Universities that things are looking equally bad there, too. Why are these proud institutions rapidly losing their reputation as world-class centers of learning?
Budget cuts. [...]

[Read the rest of this article →]