Buddha on the Boulevard
The unofficial start of summer arrived this week, but Memorial Day was a somber, gray day on the coast, more in keeping with the official reason for the holiday than with the beach festivities that often mark the day....
Fire on the Mountain
It’s only May, but Topanga has already experienced its most serious wildfire since 1993. Fire has transformed a large swath of Topanga State Park, including the Hub and Eagle Rock, into a lunar landscape of ash and dust. When...
1942
“In a 2018 poll, over 60 percent of respondents in a citizenship survey could not identify the nations that the US fought in World War II.” —Tracy Campbell In The Year of Peril: America in 1942 (2020), social historian...
On Location in Malibu 2021 Paintings by the California Art Club
The California Art Club’s Malibu show is going digital this year. On Location in Malibu 2021: Paintings by the California Art Club at Pepperdine University’s Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art. opens online on May 22, and will include...
The Hollywood Bowl is Back
The Hollywood Bowl is back, with a 2021 season that includes Christina Aguilera, Yo-Yo Ma, and Viola Davis. “Following the latest public health and reopening guidelines from Los Angeles County, the LA Phil will offer more than 50 performances,...
In Gratitude
Fire. The thing all residents of the Santa Monica Mountains fear and know that sooner or later they will have to face. Topanga and Pacific Palisades were plunged into wildfire hell this week. As of Tuesday, May 18, when...
Poison Paradise: Toxic Plants Often Hide in Plain Sight
Wildlife advocates are warning about a common ornamental plant that grows in gardens all over the West. Heavenly bamboo (Nandia domestica)—a well-behaved shrub with bamboo-like leaves and pretty red berries—is poisoning wild birds. The berries can contain high levels of...
A Year of Topanga New Times
May marks the first anniversary of the Topanga New Times. In the editorial for issue No. 1, we wrote: “the Topanga New Times is meant as a lifeline during one of the most difficult times in living memory. We...
What the Bible, Buddha, and Bill Murray Say About Happiness
I’ve found the key to contentment. That is to say, partial bliss. I know, I know. I sound pretentious, superficial, and maybe even naïve. Bear with me. The Bible’s Gospel of John teaches life-lessons that can be valuable to...
SMC Offers Summer Sustainability Certificate Programs
Santa Monica College is once again offering free online sustainability certificate programs this summer, beginning June 21. “This summer, we are excited to offer two of our free Noncredit Sustainability courses: Sustainability in Organics Aide and Sustainability Assistant,” an...
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