••• Bed Bath & Beyond “said it was filing for bankruptcy protection in United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey and would be conducting a ‘limited’ process to sell some or all of its business. ‘Thank you to all of our loyal customers,’ the company said on its website. ‘We have made the difficult decision to begin winding down our operations.’ Closing sales at the company’s 360 Bed Bath & Beyond stores and 120 Buy Buy Baby stores will begin Wednesday.” —New York Times
••• Jane Fonda will be honored at this weekend’s Earth Day Festival. —Edhat
••• “Kim Cantin Finds New Life with Book Sharing Her Loss in Deadly 2018 Montecito Disaster […] By telling her family’s story, debris flow survivor hopes Where Yellow Flowers Bloom helps others deal with heartbreak and tragedy.” —Noozhawk
••• The “See the homeless” sign—a piece of guerrilla art—is back up on the 101. —Edhat
••• The tree of the month is the bronze loquat: “In spring, the Bronze Loquat produces enormous numbers of white flowers that completely cover the crown like snow. […] The flowers are extremely attractive to bees and other pollinators; at peak bloom, the tree hums with their attention. In addition to the spectacular visual impact of the masses of flowers, they perfume the air with a wonderfully sweet fragrance. After pollination, the flowers develop into fleshy pome fruits (up to 3/41-inch round). The fruits start out a velvety green color, turning a yellow-brown and then a deep blue, and are each capped with a distinctive brown calyx at the flower end. Although the Bronze Loquat is the lesser-known cousin of the familiar edible loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), the former’s fruits are not edible.” —Edhat
••• Along with high school sports and the British royal family, Solvang politics is high on the list of things I don’t care about, but the situation is getting so that you can smell it from here. The city has repeatedly botched efforts to attract tourists, on which its economy depends, and then the city council rejected a request to hang LGBTQ pride banners for the month of June—which led to a rebuke from the mayor of Copenhagen. Now, via a public records request, the Independent has uncovered texts and emails from councilmember Robert Clarke that are pretty distressing; he repeatedly disparages LGBTQ people and their supporters, and he can’t comprehend why they deserve to feel proud. I’m no fan of cancel culture or dogmatic liberalism, but I am deeply offended whenever someone suggests that gay people are trying to “groom” children to be gay. And while I personally haven’t celebrated Pride in decades, I don’t think it takes a whole lot of empathy to see how LGBTQ people might yearn to carve out space in a world that’s stacked against them every step of the way. My goal here is not to shame Clarke, but to encourage him—and the many people like him—to try and understand what it’s like to feel as if you don’t belong, and to weigh whether something as minor as banners hanging from light poles is really worth fighting about. When it costs you nothing to make others feel good, why not do it? (That goes double for anyone representing a town economically dependent on appearing welcoming.) Naturally, I also hope that the open-minded, forward-thinking people of Solvang, whom I know exist, vote him out.
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Bed Bath & Beyond has filed for bankruptcy shortly after spending $1B in stock buybacks & cash payments to shareholders.
It wasn’t inflation. It wasn’t labor cost. It is 100% corporate greed.
I have one question for Robert Clarke:
“Do you remember the day you CHOSE to be heterosexual?”
You’ve set such a good example for me in the way you spoke about Robert Clarke specifically and about cancel culture in general. These things leave me bound up in discouragement and outrage, making it difficult for me to deliver commentary as useful as yours. I’m grateful that you and your husband have made your home here, and I value the conversation you’ve invited. Thank you
Anyone read Solvang’s city charter?
What Solvang needs is more Sally Auger and less over the hill quarterbacking.
At 13- I went to work for a local young man who had recently purchased a well loved restaurant in Solvang. That was 1980- and he continues to run his successful restaurant as a gay man without fanfare- just a man running a business I guess.
I learned a lot at that job- but what really learned =what I saw was he was a human, had relationships, paid his bills, raised dogs, took in family members who needed support. In other words, he was just like most folks- a good man. He still is, and he still puts out a great plate of hashbrowns.
Reading the comments (from mostly SB males) in the Independents/EdHats posts has gotten to be a popcorn eating affair as of late!
For tourism to flourish, it needs to be inclusive, not exclusive
WOAH! Where did you read that? You must be new around here.
I have more than 35 yrs of saying “Velkommen – we are glad your here” to so many groups of hetro/homo/gf / cosplaying people- every possible type!!!! Solvang has 50+ years of word of mouth behind its brand. I got my fresh Alas Hancock Spectrum if business 101 is something you want to brush up on?
This is a sad story almost inexplicable in this day age. I won’t be spending any of my hard earned dollars in Solvang until this issue resolves, ie., a more tolerant leader is elected. An economic boycott is one small step.
“Naturally, I also hope that the open-minded, forward-thinking people of Solvang, whom I know exist, vote him out.”
And note that Clarke wasn’t elected into the position. From the Independent’s article: “Last November, Solvang held its first by-district election. Clarke lost his bid to represent District 4 but was subsequently appointed by a divided council to fill the vacant District 1 seat left by then-Councilmember Mark Infanti when he won an uncontested race for mayor.”