Latest news with #Catholic
New York Post
an hour ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump OKs Israel annihilating Hamas: ‘I think they want to die'
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Friday said he would approve of Israel's military finishing off Hamas in the Gaza Strip after the terror group rejected a new US-backed cease-fire plan, saying, 'I think they want to die.' Trump said it was time for Israel to 'clean it up' — and that he never expected a renewed truce anyway because Hamas has very few Israel hostages left after nearly two years of fighting. 'It was too bad. Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die,' Trump said as he departed the White House for a trip to Scotland. Advertisement 5 President Trump on Friday said Israel will have to 'finish the job' and eliminate Hamas in Gaza. Will Oliver/UPI/Shutterstock 'It's very, very bad. It got to be to a point where you have to finish the job,' he said. 'We're down to the final hostages. And [the terrorists] know what happens after you get the final hostages. And basically, because of that, they really didn't want to make a deal.' Advertisement 5 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (here in April at the White House) must clear out the remnants of Hamas from Gaza, Trump said. Getty Images In May, Trump secured the release of Edan Alexander, the last US Israeli citizen held hostage after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and started the latest war. Alexander, who grew up in Tenafly, NJ, had been serving in the Israeli military when he was captured. On Friday, Trump also swatted at French President Emmanuel Macron's plan to symbolically recognize Palestinian statehood. 5 French President Emmanuel Macron (right) is welcomed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday. POOL/AFP via Getty Images Advertisement 'He's a different kind of a guy. He's OK, he's a team player pretty much. But here's the good news: What he says doesn't matter,' said the president, who has balked at recognizing the Palestinian enclave as independent and opening official diplomatic relations with it. 'His statement doesn't carry any weight. He's a very good guy. I like it, but that statement doesn't carry any weight,' Trump said of Macron. Most countries, including China, Russia, India and Mexico, recognize Palestine as a country, though it has had rival governments in Gaza and the West Bank since 2007. 5 Altar servers walk in a procession at the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City on July 20, two days after an Israeli airstrike killed three at the Catholic church. AFP via Getty Images Advertisement 5 Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa of Jerusalem helped celebrate Mass at the church earlier this week. AFP via Getty Images Trump has proposed clearing out Gaza of its roughly 2 million occupants, who are mostly Muslim with a small Christian minority, to allow for a US-managed reconstruction project to turn the coastal strip into the 'Riviera of the Middle East.' Thus far, neighboring nations have rejected his overtures to take refugees, though.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Sri Lankan Supreme Court orders $1 bn compensation over X-Press Pearl disaster
In a landmark judgment that could redefine environmental accountability in South Asia, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has ordered non-state actors — including the owners, operators, and local agents of the ill-fated MV X-Press Pearl — to pay $1 billion as interim compensation to the Sri Lankan treasury. The ruling relates to the catastrophic maritime disaster in May 2021, when the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel caught fire and later sank off the Western coast of Sri Lanka, unleashing what experts have described as the worst marine pollution event in the island's history. The verdict followed the hearing of four Fundamental Rights petitions filed by fishermen, Catholic clergy, and environmental groups. Among the petitioners was Sri Lanka's most senior Catholic prelate, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith. Nearly 20 respondents were named, including former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (represented by the Attorney General), several ministers, senior public officials, and heads of agencies responsible for marine environmental protection. The vessel's owners, operators, and local agents were collectively referred to by the Court as the 'X-Press Pearl Group.' Upholding the 'polluter pays' principle, the Court found that both the X-Press Pearl Group and state actors had violated the fundamental rights of the petitioners — and, by extension, the people of Sri Lanka. In a rare move, the Court also ruled that Sri Lanka's Attorney General's Department (AGD) had violated citizens' rights by failing to pursue appropriate legal action against the responsible parties. A slow-burning disaster The MV X-Press Pearl was a Singapore-registered container ship operated by X-Press Feeders. On May 20, 2021, while anchored off Colombo, it caught fire while carrying a highly hazardous cargo — including 25 tonnes of nitric acid, methanol, caustic soda, lubricants, and an estimated 400 containers of plastic nurdles (small, pre-production plastic pellets used in manufacturing). The ship burned for nearly two weeks before sinking, triggering a major marine pollution crisis. An estimated 1,600 tonnes of plastic nurdles tonnes of plastic nurdles were spilled into the ocean and along Sri Lanka's western coastline, causing extensive and lasting environmental damage. These lentil-sized pellets, which absorb and concentrate toxic chemicals, are often mistaken for food by marine species. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) later described the incident as potentially the worst marine plastic pollution event from a single vessel in history. A recent BBC investigation found that the nurdles continue to absorb pollutants like heavy metals from the sea and are getting more toxic over time, compounding the long-term threat to marine ecosystems. In the weeks that followed, tonnes of dead marine animals — including dolphins, turtles, and fish — washed ashore. Coastal fishing communities, especially in the Western Province, were devastated by fishing bans, leading to severe economic and cultural impacts. Attorney General's department under fire The Court was sharply critical of the Attorney General's Department, particularly for its decision to file a civil compensation claim in Singapore rather than pursuing legal proceedings in Sri Lanka. The Court described this move as 'unreasonable, irrational, and arbitrary.' It was revealed during the hearings that the AGD had entered into an agreement with the shipowners granting 'exclusive jurisdiction' to Singaporean courts — effectively sidelining Sri Lanka's own legal system. The Court concluded that the AGD had infringed upon the rights of Sri Lankan citizens by failing to indict the ship's owners and operators, thereby undermining national sovereignty and accountability. The Court also held former State Minister of Urban Development Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA), and its former chairperson Darshani Lahandapura responsible for violating the fundamental rights of citizens due to their failure in prevention, oversight, and timely response. Corruption allegations and police investigations In 2023, several parliamentarians alleged that the shipowners had paid a USD 250 million bribe to certain AGD officials to derail the compensation process. The police launched an investigation based on a complaint filed by a senior MEPA official — but the inquiry has since been stalled. In its ruling, the Court has directed the police to resume investigations into all criminal aspects of the case, including the bribery allegations, and to submit a progress report within three months. Additionally, the Court announced the formation of the MV X-Press Pearl Compensation Commission, which will undertake a comprehensive assessment of the environmental and economic damages. The USD 1 billion ordered is considered an interim payment and may be revised upward based on the commission's findings. Beyond the petitioners' demands Dr. Ravindranath Dabare, who represented several petitioners, told The Hindu that the judgment had exceeded expectations. 'The Supreme Court went well beyond what the petitioners asked for. It recognised not only the environmental loss but also the systemic failure of the state in its duty to protect the people's fundamental rights,' he said. The ruling has been welcomed by environmentalists, legal experts, and affected coastal communities as a rare and powerful assertion of environmental justice in South Asia — where foreign corporate polluters often avoid liability. Legal scholars suggest that the ruling may set a regional precedent for addressing transboundary environmental harm and enhancing corporate accountability, particularly in the context of hazardous maritime cargo. Can the ruling be enforced? One of the AGD's primary justifications for filing the civil case in Singapore was uncertainty over whether a Sri Lankan court judgment could be enforced internationally. However, Dr. Dabare argues that the Court has addressed this concern by defining the 'X-Press Pearl Group' to include the vessel's local agents — thereby ensuring domestic enforceability. 'If they fail to comply, local agents will face the full force of Sri Lankan law,' he said. Meanwhile, the Singapore civil suit remains on hold, pending an appeal in the UK Admiralty Court. The UK court is reviewing an earlier decision to limit the shipowners' liability to £19.8 million — a fraction of the damage Sri Lanka claims to have suffered. With the Supreme Court's ruling now far exceeding that liability cap, Dr. Dabare contends that it is no longer viable for Sri Lanka to pursue both legal avenues. 'This ruling marks a definitive legal stance,' he said. The shipowners have yet to publicly respond to the judgment. -Saroj Pathirana is a Fellow at the Pulitzer Ocean Reporting network.
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
This Irish romantic drama takes its sweet time, to be sure
Truman Capote wrote, "More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones." In this film, God seems to be playing with that idea, toying with people's hopes and dreams and lives, giving them inspiration that leads to suffering, and granting at least some wishes but with a twist or a capricious sense of timing. Or maybe it's all down to some other kind of supernatural goings-on, or to fate. Or, if you're not into such metaphysical speculations, maybe things like coincidence just happen. This Irish romantic drama takes its sweet time to unfold and then crams a lot towards the end in a rush that hinders, rather than enhances, its impact. We have to wait a long time before the young lovers even meet, and even longer to discover what the title means. Niall Williams adapted his own novel: it's his first movie script, and the task might have been better entrusted to a screenwriter with more experience and objectivity. Four Letters of Love is also full of cliches from the Emerald Isle and from movies set there. Dancing merry jigs to jolly songs? Tick. A stern Mother Superior at a drab Catholic girls' boarding school? Tick. Impractical husbands and longsuffering wives? A score featuring wordless, ethereal female vocals? To be sure, to be sure. There are no banshees, but there do appear to be ghosts. There's also some spectacular scenery, gorgeously shot by Damien Elliott. The story begins in the 1970s. One day at the office, civil servant William Coughlin (Pierce Brosnan) has an epiphany and chucks in his job to become a painter. He abruptly leaves his wife Bette (Imelda May) and son Nicholas (Fionn O'Shea) to head west, leaving them bewildered and poor: Bette never recovers from the shock, and William comes and goes as he pleases. Meanwhile, on the island where William goes to paint, Isabel (Ann Skelly) is helping to care for her brother Sean (Donal Finn), who's wheelchair-bound and mute after a stroke. Isabel's parents - schoolteacher Muiris (Gabriel Byrne) and mother Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter) - send her off to a boarding school but she runs away and takes up with Peadar (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), a musician with a car. He's an underdeveloped character, essentially a plot contrivance to complicate things between Nicholas and Isabel, but he's not a cardboard cad. Williams and experienced director Polly Steele (Let Me Go) do a fair job of juggling the moves between time and place but sometimes important elements - like a painting by William that plays a crucial role - aren't dealt with as clearly or skilfully as they should be. As mentioned, it takes a long time for Nicholas and Isabel to meet, after a near miss or two, and their falling in love feels rather too rushed and underplayed. Not that the full gushing Hollywood treatment was needed but the handling seems clumsy. The way Nicholas is kept around for story purposes isn't entirely convincing either. There's an air of muted fatalism about things: people don't seem to get too passionate or upset. The film benefits from a fine cast. O'Shea was very likeable in the heartwarming boarding-school drama Handsome Devil (in which he starred with Nicholas Galitzine) and, playing a fairly subdued character here, is a sympathetic hero throughout. Skelly is also very good: you hope things will end well for them. Brosnan seems slightly odd casting as a scruffy bohemian but he and the other veterans are good to have around. Romantic dramas can end happily or tragically, hopefully or bittersweetly: without spoiling the film, the ending doesn't seem entirely clear, which is a little frustrating. But the painting, when finally viewed, does have some impact. It, like the film, could have had more. Truman Capote wrote, "More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones." In this film, God seems to be playing with that idea, toying with people's hopes and dreams and lives, giving them inspiration that leads to suffering, and granting at least some wishes but with a twist or a capricious sense of timing. Or maybe it's all down to some other kind of supernatural goings-on, or to fate. Or, if you're not into such metaphysical speculations, maybe things like coincidence just happen. This Irish romantic drama takes its sweet time to unfold and then crams a lot towards the end in a rush that hinders, rather than enhances, its impact. We have to wait a long time before the young lovers even meet, and even longer to discover what the title means. Niall Williams adapted his own novel: it's his first movie script, and the task might have been better entrusted to a screenwriter with more experience and objectivity. Four Letters of Love is also full of cliches from the Emerald Isle and from movies set there. Dancing merry jigs to jolly songs? Tick. A stern Mother Superior at a drab Catholic girls' boarding school? Tick. Impractical husbands and longsuffering wives? A score featuring wordless, ethereal female vocals? To be sure, to be sure. There are no banshees, but there do appear to be ghosts. There's also some spectacular scenery, gorgeously shot by Damien Elliott. The story begins in the 1970s. One day at the office, civil servant William Coughlin (Pierce Brosnan) has an epiphany and chucks in his job to become a painter. He abruptly leaves his wife Bette (Imelda May) and son Nicholas (Fionn O'Shea) to head west, leaving them bewildered and poor: Bette never recovers from the shock, and William comes and goes as he pleases. Meanwhile, on the island where William goes to paint, Isabel (Ann Skelly) is helping to care for her brother Sean (Donal Finn), who's wheelchair-bound and mute after a stroke. Isabel's parents - schoolteacher Muiris (Gabriel Byrne) and mother Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter) - send her off to a boarding school but she runs away and takes up with Peadar (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), a musician with a car. He's an underdeveloped character, essentially a plot contrivance to complicate things between Nicholas and Isabel, but he's not a cardboard cad. Williams and experienced director Polly Steele (Let Me Go) do a fair job of juggling the moves between time and place but sometimes important elements - like a painting by William that plays a crucial role - aren't dealt with as clearly or skilfully as they should be. As mentioned, it takes a long time for Nicholas and Isabel to meet, after a near miss or two, and their falling in love feels rather too rushed and underplayed. Not that the full gushing Hollywood treatment was needed but the handling seems clumsy. The way Nicholas is kept around for story purposes isn't entirely convincing either. There's an air of muted fatalism about things: people don't seem to get too passionate or upset. The film benefits from a fine cast. O'Shea was very likeable in the heartwarming boarding-school drama Handsome Devil (in which he starred with Nicholas Galitzine) and, playing a fairly subdued character here, is a sympathetic hero throughout. Skelly is also very good: you hope things will end well for them. Brosnan seems slightly odd casting as a scruffy bohemian but he and the other veterans are good to have around. Romantic dramas can end happily or tragically, hopefully or bittersweetly: without spoiling the film, the ending doesn't seem entirely clear, which is a little frustrating. But the painting, when finally viewed, does have some impact. It, like the film, could have had more. Truman Capote wrote, "More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones." In this film, God seems to be playing with that idea, toying with people's hopes and dreams and lives, giving them inspiration that leads to suffering, and granting at least some wishes but with a twist or a capricious sense of timing. Or maybe it's all down to some other kind of supernatural goings-on, or to fate. Or, if you're not into such metaphysical speculations, maybe things like coincidence just happen. This Irish romantic drama takes its sweet time to unfold and then crams a lot towards the end in a rush that hinders, rather than enhances, its impact. We have to wait a long time before the young lovers even meet, and even longer to discover what the title means. Niall Williams adapted his own novel: it's his first movie script, and the task might have been better entrusted to a screenwriter with more experience and objectivity. Four Letters of Love is also full of cliches from the Emerald Isle and from movies set there. Dancing merry jigs to jolly songs? Tick. A stern Mother Superior at a drab Catholic girls' boarding school? Tick. Impractical husbands and longsuffering wives? A score featuring wordless, ethereal female vocals? To be sure, to be sure. There are no banshees, but there do appear to be ghosts. There's also some spectacular scenery, gorgeously shot by Damien Elliott. The story begins in the 1970s. One day at the office, civil servant William Coughlin (Pierce Brosnan) has an epiphany and chucks in his job to become a painter. He abruptly leaves his wife Bette (Imelda May) and son Nicholas (Fionn O'Shea) to head west, leaving them bewildered and poor: Bette never recovers from the shock, and William comes and goes as he pleases. Meanwhile, on the island where William goes to paint, Isabel (Ann Skelly) is helping to care for her brother Sean (Donal Finn), who's wheelchair-bound and mute after a stroke. Isabel's parents - schoolteacher Muiris (Gabriel Byrne) and mother Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter) - send her off to a boarding school but she runs away and takes up with Peadar (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), a musician with a car. He's an underdeveloped character, essentially a plot contrivance to complicate things between Nicholas and Isabel, but he's not a cardboard cad. Williams and experienced director Polly Steele (Let Me Go) do a fair job of juggling the moves between time and place but sometimes important elements - like a painting by William that plays a crucial role - aren't dealt with as clearly or skilfully as they should be. As mentioned, it takes a long time for Nicholas and Isabel to meet, after a near miss or two, and their falling in love feels rather too rushed and underplayed. Not that the full gushing Hollywood treatment was needed but the handling seems clumsy. The way Nicholas is kept around for story purposes isn't entirely convincing either. There's an air of muted fatalism about things: people don't seem to get too passionate or upset. The film benefits from a fine cast. O'Shea was very likeable in the heartwarming boarding-school drama Handsome Devil (in which he starred with Nicholas Galitzine) and, playing a fairly subdued character here, is a sympathetic hero throughout. Skelly is also very good: you hope things will end well for them. Brosnan seems slightly odd casting as a scruffy bohemian but he and the other veterans are good to have around. Romantic dramas can end happily or tragically, hopefully or bittersweetly: without spoiling the film, the ending doesn't seem entirely clear, which is a little frustrating. But the painting, when finally viewed, does have some impact. It, like the film, could have had more. Truman Capote wrote, "More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones." In this film, God seems to be playing with that idea, toying with people's hopes and dreams and lives, giving them inspiration that leads to suffering, and granting at least some wishes but with a twist or a capricious sense of timing. Or maybe it's all down to some other kind of supernatural goings-on, or to fate. Or, if you're not into such metaphysical speculations, maybe things like coincidence just happen. This Irish romantic drama takes its sweet time to unfold and then crams a lot towards the end in a rush that hinders, rather than enhances, its impact. We have to wait a long time before the young lovers even meet, and even longer to discover what the title means. Niall Williams adapted his own novel: it's his first movie script, and the task might have been better entrusted to a screenwriter with more experience and objectivity. Four Letters of Love is also full of cliches from the Emerald Isle and from movies set there. Dancing merry jigs to jolly songs? Tick. A stern Mother Superior at a drab Catholic girls' boarding school? Tick. Impractical husbands and longsuffering wives? A score featuring wordless, ethereal female vocals? To be sure, to be sure. There are no banshees, but there do appear to be ghosts. There's also some spectacular scenery, gorgeously shot by Damien Elliott. The story begins in the 1970s. One day at the office, civil servant William Coughlin (Pierce Brosnan) has an epiphany and chucks in his job to become a painter. He abruptly leaves his wife Bette (Imelda May) and son Nicholas (Fionn O'Shea) to head west, leaving them bewildered and poor: Bette never recovers from the shock, and William comes and goes as he pleases. Meanwhile, on the island where William goes to paint, Isabel (Ann Skelly) is helping to care for her brother Sean (Donal Finn), who's wheelchair-bound and mute after a stroke. Isabel's parents - schoolteacher Muiris (Gabriel Byrne) and mother Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter) - send her off to a boarding school but she runs away and takes up with Peadar (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), a musician with a car. He's an underdeveloped character, essentially a plot contrivance to complicate things between Nicholas and Isabel, but he's not a cardboard cad. Williams and experienced director Polly Steele (Let Me Go) do a fair job of juggling the moves between time and place but sometimes important elements - like a painting by William that plays a crucial role - aren't dealt with as clearly or skilfully as they should be. As mentioned, it takes a long time for Nicholas and Isabel to meet, after a near miss or two, and their falling in love feels rather too rushed and underplayed. Not that the full gushing Hollywood treatment was needed but the handling seems clumsy. The way Nicholas is kept around for story purposes isn't entirely convincing either. There's an air of muted fatalism about things: people don't seem to get too passionate or upset. The film benefits from a fine cast. O'Shea was very likeable in the heartwarming boarding-school drama Handsome Devil (in which he starred with Nicholas Galitzine) and, playing a fairly subdued character here, is a sympathetic hero throughout. Skelly is also very good: you hope things will end well for them. Brosnan seems slightly odd casting as a scruffy bohemian but he and the other veterans are good to have around. Romantic dramas can end happily or tragically, hopefully or bittersweetly: without spoiling the film, the ending doesn't seem entirely clear, which is a little frustrating. But the painting, when finally viewed, does have some impact. It, like the film, could have had more.
The Star
8 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Low water pressure issues unacceptable, says Penang MCA
GEORGE TOWN: Penang MCA has urged the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) to resolve the persistent low water pressure issues affecting thousands of residents in South Seberang Perai, Central Seberang Perai and parts of the island. Its state liaison committee chairman Datuk Tan Teik Cheng said the continued disruptions, especially during peak hours, are completely unacceptable and highlight inefficiencies in PBAPP's operations. "Despite implementing a major water tariff hike, PBAPP has failed to deliver service quality that justifies such a drastic increase. "Tariff hikes should come with improvements, not deteriorations in service," he said in a statement on Friday (July 25). Tan, who is MCA vice-president, said instead, consumers, especially those living in higher-ground areas like Taman Cendana and Juru, are now forced to endure low water pressure and even dry taps for hours. He said what's even more glaring is the fact that PBAPP's holding company, PBA Holdings Bhd (PBAHB), recorded a substantial pre-tax profit of RM68.4mil in 2023, marking a 107.3% increase from RM32.998mil in 2022. He said this begs the question that if profits have more than doubled, why are Penangites still facing basic water supply issues? Tan said this situation could not come at a worse time. "With news reports that over 100,000 domestic and foreign Catholic pilgrims and tourists expected to arrive at the Minor Basilica of St Anne in Bukit Mertajam for St Anne's Feast Day, and many of them travelling to the island for sightseeing and leisure, Penang is at risk of giving a poor impression to both local and international visitors, besides the inconvenience of low water pressure where water usage is very essential," he said. Tan said this does not just affect the image of the state, and will directly impacts the tourism industry, small businesses, and state's economy. He urged PBAPP to provide immediate, transparent updates and timelines on remedial actions. "Penangites and visitors to Penang deserve a water management system that is resilient, forward-looking, and capable of coping with growing demand—not one that collapses under seasonal pressure or rapid development," he said. He said that mere acknowledgements and long-term promises are no longer enough. He added PBAPP must prioritise consumers over profit margins and take full accountability for its underperformance. Earlier today, PBAPP chief executive officer Datuk K. Pathmanathan said the corporation has implemented immediate measures to reduce disruptions and low water pressure during peak hours in several areas across the state, particularly in South Seberang Perai amid the current hot weather. He also said that the company's move to optimise its pipeline system, including valve adjustments to channel more water to affected areas, has helped shorten the duration of interruptions. Currently, consumers experience low water pressure during the peak hours between 6pm and 11pm, but efforts are ongoing to reduce the disruption to just two to three hours daily. Among affected areas are Sungai Bakap, Nibong Tebal, Jawi, Simpang Ampat, Bukit Tambun, and Batu Kawan. Other impacted locations are Bukit Penara and Balik Pulau in the Southwest District, as well as several parts of Seberang Perai Tengah.
Los Angeles Times
8 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Fierce pride is at the core of the Chumash Museum, a worthwhile day trip from L.A.
For thousands of years, the Chumash people lived along California's Central Coast and on its Channel Islands. Then the newcomers arrived — Spanish explorers, Catholic missionaries, Mexican rancheros, California settlers — and the Chumash way of life was dismantled, their people enslaved and their traditions, culture and language forbidden. So it's hardly surprising that the main message at the new Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center is as poignant as it is defiant: 'We are the first people. And we are still here.' The museum, which opened in May, sits on Highway 246 and Edison Street in tiny Santa Ynez, just across the road from Chumash Casino Resort operated by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. But where the resort is a sleek, modern high-rise, the low-lying museum and lushly landscaped grounds are dedicated to the past, showcasing the stories, craftsmanship and even the plants of the Chumash, whose bands ranged along the coast from Malibu to Morro Bay and as far inland as the San Joaquin Valley, said Nakia Zavalla, the tribal historic preservation officer and cultural director of the Santa Ynez band. While the focus is on the past, however, the museum's storytelling is high-tech, with lots of interactive displays that activate with just the wave of a hand. The tribe doesn't permit photos inside the museum, and the few photos provided for publication don't really do the exhibits justice, so believe me when I say the displays are far more engaging than just shelves of artifacts and well worth a visit for adults and children. From the large parking lot, the path to the entrance winds along a man-made recirculating stream lush with spiky, deep-green mounds of deergrass (Muhlenbergia rigens), feathery sandbar willow (Salix exigua) and a variety of juncus such as basket rush (Juncus textilis), used for making the tribe's intricate baskets. The 3.5-acre grounds as well as the museum itself were designed by Jones & Jones Architects of Seattle, which also designed the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. The main entrance is visually stunning, bringing visitors inside a larger-than-life 'ap' (pronounced ahp), a towering representation of the traditional Chumash dwellings made from willow branches and dried leaves of tule plants, such as hardstem bulrush (Schoenoplectus acutus), which also grows on the grounds. The museum's entry is like a giant dome with a big round skylight at the top. The large, sloping walls feature projections of birds taking flight and sparks rising from the faux firepit in the center of the room, along with detailed illustrations recognizing the region's Chumash bands. Inside, the exhibits are arranged in a meandering flow (just follow the blue line) that introduces visitors to a large and engaging range of interactive displays and stories, many of which were provided by elder Maria del Refugio Solares, Zavalla's 'fifth great-grandmother' and one of the last native speakers of the Chumash language Samala. Some tribal members are trying to resurrect Samala through classes and 'just getting together and speaking with each other,' said Zavalla. 'It's opened so many doors to understanding our culture, our medicinal plants and ceremonies.' Solares died in 1923 at 81, but left wax cylinder recordings of Chumash songs, stories and translations with linguist and Native American language ethnologist John Peabody Harrington. Incorporating Solares' songs and stories makes the exhibits come alive. For instance, near the beginning of the permanent exhibit there is a cave-like room explaining the Chumash understanding of the universe, which is divided into three levels. The upper world is inhabited by celestial Sky People, such as Sun and Sky Coyote, whose peón gambling games affected the seasons for everything from harvesting acorns to hunting game. The dark, eerie lower world is dominated by two giant rattlesnakes whose writhings cause the ground in the middle world — our world — to shake. The phases of the moon? Those are caused by the way Slo'w, the Sky Eagle, stretches his wings. Thunder? The result of two brothers in the Upper World playing a rowdy stick game. Nearby, an alcove features a preserved California condor known as AC8, the last female in the wild who was taken into captivity in 1986 to become part of a breeding program to rebuild the critically endangered population of North America's largest land bird. In the exhibit, you must look up to see her, preserved as if in flight, her massive wings outstretched, while below is a miniature depiction of the local hills with a small gliding shadow of a condor in flight. Further on are hunting outfits made from deer and bear heads and skins, examples of traditional Chumash stick and gambling games, and stuffed animals for children that were — literally — dead, cuddly rabbits carefully preserved. There are exquisite medallions and hair ornaments made from iridescent abalone shells and strings of Chumash currency — tiny, doughnut-shaped beads created from carefully cut olivella shells. And of course, there are multiple examples of Chumash basket weaving, from the tightly woven vessels used to hold food and even water to the carriers designed to securely tote babies. The museum includes more recent history as well, such as the startling news that running water wasn't available on the reservation until 1969. Outside, in the 3.5-acre cultural park, you can follow a winding trail through the Ancestor's Grove — young coast live oak trees, each with a marker honoring a deceased tribal elder — to view the long redwood plank canoe known as a tomol, big enough to seat at least six adults and used annually to re-create the trips their ancestors made between the mainland and the Channel Islands. The park also features another recirculating stream and 100 species of native plants that would have provided food, shelter and habitat in the region before the explorers and colonists arrived. The landscape is constantly changing, said Megan Carey, the museum's collections and archives manager. 'One of my favorite things about the Culture Park is that you see something different, something blooming, every week.' The Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center is open Thursday-Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reserved-time tickets can be purchased online. Tickets are $15 for ages 18-64; $12 for ages 65 and older, teens 13-17, and military members with ID; $10 for ages 3-12; and free for toddlers 2 and younger. Tickets aren't sold past 4 p.m. Parking is free. The museum also has a well-stocked gift store near the parking lot, but for food, shopping and other excitement, you'll need to venture into the sometimes rustic, sometimes well-heeled town of Santa Ynez, where you'll find upscale clothing and furnishing stores that don't cater to tourists as much as the monied locals outfitting themselves and, perhaps, second or third homes. Here are other things to do in Santa Ynez but take note: Some restaurants are closed on Mondays. Dining: I had an excellent roast beef sandwich (chosen from many tempting options) at Panino Sandwich Shop, but there are many other dining options. Locals highly recommended the Baker's Table for bread, pastries, breakfast and lunch, and Brothers Restaurant at the Red Barn or Trattoria Grappolo for dinner. If you want a down-home atmosphere, try the Longhorn Coffee Shop for breakfast (it closes at 1 p.m. and the only coffee served is cowboy coffee, black); or for lunch, the nearby Maverick Saloon where the ceiling is papered by dangling dollar bills (children are welcome, they just can't sit at the bar). Pony Cocktails & Kitchen boasts 'all day cocktails and dining' starting at 8 a.m. (although it closes at 2:30 p.m. on Sundays and Mondays). Coffee: Try Queen Cup Coffee (adjacent to a very cute Lucky Hen Larder sandwich and cheese shop.) Shopping: Several tony options if you're in the market for luxury home furnishings (such as very cool denim placements at $35 each) and/or designer clothing (Santa Ynez General offers both along with candles, soaps and toothpaste — and is a nice non-snooty place to browse). Charlotte's Santa Ynez specializes in unique (and gorgeous) sterling silver and turquoise jewelry and belts, along with other Native American jewelry. And if your head is feeling naked, KJ Murphy's promises a 'premier custom hat experience' and choices that range from authentic cowboy hats to fedoras and trucker hats. Out of the ordinary: In the center of town, the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum and Parks-Janeway Carriage House promises 'the largest horse-drawn vehicle collection west of the Mississippi' including a stagecoach, farm wagon and fire engine in addition to examples of 'regional saddlery, period apparel, and vintage horse gear.' And just a few miles down the road is Rancho Olivos, an 8-acre olive oil farm that offers an assortment of delicious olive oils, produced from their own olives, along with several vinegars. The balsamic vinegar is outstanding, and the Spanish-style Arbequina oil has a delicious, buttery flavor. I wish I had bought a dozen bottles, but now I have another excellent reason to return.
