Articles by category: Family

In Santa Barbara County, about 30% of children in grades 5-9, and 34% of teens, are overweight or obese. One-third of 2-5 year olds, and 46% of 5-19 year olds, from lower income families are overweight or obese. The SB County Public Health Department is collaborating with local schools, non-profits, medical providers, and other organizations to develop a comprehensive, long-term obesity prevention plan.

Every nation has its dark secrets. For the French, it was complicity in the murder of thousands of Jews during the Nazi occupation of World War II. Called the “Vel’d’Hiv Roundup” because of the use of the “Velodrome d’Hiver” sports arena to gather over 13,000 Parisian Jews for transport to the death camps, it was not until 1995 that the French government apologized to the world for their involvement in the Holocaust. This little known event has been powerfully presented through the cinematic direction of Giles Paquet-Brenner. Based on a French novel by Tatiana De Rosnay, “Sarah’s Key” or “Elle s'appelait Sarah” is a multilingual journey into one young girl’s devastating experience.

For anyone who lived through the turbulent racial segregation of the mid 20th century, “The Help” will be a haunting reminder of how far we have come as a nation. Kathryn Stockett’s engagingly written book has taken on a life of its own in this film that is sure to be a classic.

Set in Jackson, Mississippi in the pre – “I have a dream” days of the early 1960’s, we are witness to the unjust differences between white and black America. This is a time when white society, especially (but not only) in the south, lived as if black Americans were a servant class existing to meet their social and cultural needs. “The Help” is a poignant glimpse into the demeaning daily experience that was often the only employment option for women of color.

Love relationships are difficult. Left on our own, we crash into one another with devastating regularity and experience unnecessary pain. We may end up discovering that faithful, life-long love is the only true destination, but the trial and error method is painful – even for those who are only observers. Though humorously presented and appropriately named, “Crazy, Stupid, Love” portrays this reality and is not a film we recommend.

Dan M. “Buck” Brannaman is the second child of an abusive man. Forcing him and his brother to perform as children in a western act, Buck was regularly beaten by his drunken father, an abuse that only intensified when his mother died while he was still a child. But as is often the case, this experience so sensitized Buck that he is able to identify similar pain wherever he sees it, whether in horses or humans. Intuitively recognizing that he could help lessen both the pain and the abuse, Buck began a life-long mission of healing both horse and rider in special clinics where he teaches both to respect and honor one another. He explains that “Abused horses are like abused children. They trust no one and expect the worst. But patience, leadership, compassion and firmness can help them overcome their pasts.”

The skillful directing of Joe Johnston (Hidalgo, October Sky, Jumanji) is enjoyed once again in Marvel’s summer hit “Captain America: The First Avenger”. Based on the 1941 action hero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, this enhanced human is both courageous and endearing. As a symbol of the American soldier during World War II, Captain America stood for the ordinary man who was willing to give his life to stop evil. But what is interesting about this tale is that the villain is not Adolph Hitler, but a former Nazi officer, Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), whose longing for occult power becomes demonic. No longer fighting against flesh and blood, Captain America is fighting against the deformed Schmidt as the “Red Skull,” whose power comes from a crystal believed to have been given by the gods.

The Harry Potter films end where they began: Love, which lays down one’s own life for another, is more powerful than evil that takes life. But in this final film, additional spiritual truths are accentuated: Evil may seek a way to find eternal life, but such a life is only possible through love and sacrifice, not through scheming or sorcery; Power that forces servitude is to be rejected outright and even the temptation to do so has to be destroyed; and ultimate meaning in life is found not in magical adventure but in the rewards of friendship, love and family.

The Santa Barbara Zoo’s breeding pair of Asian small-clawed otters have produced their second litter of pups. The pair’s first litter of five pups, born last August, has joined in the care of the new pups as training for future breeding.

Using light to fight darkness is a common theme in both fiction and faith. What makes the light of the Green Lantern unique is that it is the manifestation of the will. Unusual within the comic world, this emphasis on the strength of will allows the tale to explore how emotions like will and fear could be harnessed for good or for evil. Based on the comic hero created by Bill Finger of DC Comics in 1940, the Green Lantern has gone through several forms. Melding them together, director Martin Campbell (Mask of Zorro, Casino Royale) creates a cinematic figure who is both human and hero.

Adventure shoe company Teva® has come to the rescue of a young Humboldt penguin with an impaired foot at the Santa Barbara Zoo.