In February of this year, several thousand customers of plus-size chain store Catherine’s found themselves in a conundrum. They’d bought charm bracelets to benefit breast cancer awareness only to learn that the charms potentially caused—you guessed it—cancer.
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Gift Guide: Bike Gadgets
Bike people are the worst. I mean that in the best possible way. Namely, bike people have such a personal physical and spiritual connection to their bikes that to give them a bike-related gift and expect them to use it traipses on blasphemy. If they’re serious about cycling, chances are they’ve educated themselves about every gadget on the market and tailored their ride just so, ne’er to be altered by a meddling if well-intentioned gift-giver. If they just dig cruising around town on a single-speed, chances are they’ll laugh in the face of anything remotely like clip-pedal shoes or spandex gear. What to do?
Gift Guide: Sports Gear
Who doesn’t love new toys? And if they improve your performance in the surf, snow and mountains—or just make you look cool tooling around town—all the better. Like Swobo’s Baxter ($1,099), an 8-speed commuter bike. It’s got a lightweight aluminum frame and carbon fiber fork so you can ditch the car and speed around town without breaking a sweat or ditching your work-to-happy-hour-appropriate attire. The rear brake cable is hidden in the top tube, which means it won’t catch on your clothing. Other cool features: Shimano hub and disc brakes and 36-hole wheels for better durability and riding ease on rough roads, potholes and railroad tracks. Plus there’s no need to worry about the limited daylight hours on this bike. The seat post has an integrated taillight and the tires come with patented 3M reflective strips, so cars can’t miss you. You’re highly visible—and looking good—on this bike.
Gift Guide: e-Readers
Three years ago this month Amazon unveiled its groundbreaking Kindle e-reader. The original Kindle featured a 6-by-4-inch grayscale screen, could hold approximately 200 titles, retailed for about $400 and—since it was the only device of its kind on the market—sold out a projected five months’ worth of stock in a little over five hours. Holiday shoppers who weren’t on top of their game had to wait until April of the following year to get their hands on the coveted contraption.
Santa Cruz Poets, Santa Cruz Inspiration: Maria Teutsch
For this week’s installment of ‘Santa Cruz Poets, Santa Cruz Inspiration,’ a tribute to West Cliff from the editor of the Homestead Review and Ping-Pong.
The Exhibitionist: Tony May
They’re social events, art openings, occasioned by the showing of a body of work by one or more artists. Amid a crowd and the buzz of conversation, it’s rarely possible to really see the artwork, except to decide whether or not to return. The opening reception was, however, the very best time to see the 40-year retrospective of a loved artist and teacher, Tony May, whose “Tony May: Old Technology ™” exhibition at the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art opened Nov. 12.
Seafood Markets Ranked
The dos and don’ts of buying sustainable seafood have become common knowledge for many Americans, thanks in large part to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program and its wallet-sized reference cards, which offer simple guidelines to making smart purchases in the seafood department. Yet even as many consumers do their best to dodge red-listed items, fishmongers still dangle them before our noses.
Ecology Action’s $33M Green Energy Bonanza
It took a series of court decisions, two bottles of scotch and a whole lot of nail biting, but the statewide program to offer financing for home and business owners for energy efficiency projects is back on—with Santa Cruz-based Ecology action playing a key role in the landmark $33 million program.
Gift Guide: Gourmet Goods
Let’s pause a moment and give thanks for the foodies of the world, shall we? They’re the ones who sniff out new restaurants, always know what wine to take to the party and insist on (copious amounts of) real butter for the (whipped, not mashed) potatoes. In so many ways, they complete us—maybe even add to us. So when gift-giving time comes, it’s important to do right by the foodie in your life.
Portrait Of A Centerpiece
Jamie Collins has been hanging out with her Thanksgiving meal since May. Owner of Serendipity Farms, Collins is based in Aromas and pays the bills with produce, but approaching her chicken coop sparks the unhinged gobbling of six full-grown turkeys. It would be nine, except her dog killed one and two died in infancy, and she’s about to knock off three of the remainders for gravy and stuffing.
