Cover Story
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If you’re reading this right now, count yourself lucky: You’re not among the estimated 21 to 23 percent of American adults who are either wholly illiterate, functionally illiterate (those who might be able to understand a couple thousand words memorized by sight in grade school but who are unable to understand such basic written instructions…
Star power!
I’m feeling sort of awesome as I walk into the King Vidor Awards reception at the SLO International Film Festival’s office on Higuera St. It’s Saturday, March 19, and I’ve got a foxy lady on each arm—Jen Anthony and Aura Joy Van Dyck—and as soon as we walk in we’re rubbing shoulders with James Cromwell…
What’s that banging?
If you’re like me, you like both kinds of music—country and western. And what’s not to like? Let’s peruse, for a moment, some of my favorite country song titles: “All the Guys that Turn Me On Turn Me Down,” “Am I Double Parked by the Curbstone of Your Heart?,” “An Old Flame Can’t Hold a…
What achievement makes you proud?
Walter Ajanel bicycle shop owner “Having a business here in San Luis Obispo, learning new things on my job and doing it well.” Kim Kelley business owner “Being the owner of a spa is my proudest accomplishment.” Robert Gill retired computer programmer “My two children, who made me fall in love with them deeply when…
Art After Dark
April 2, 6-9 p.m. ARTS Space Obispo: 570 Higuera #165 (SLO Creamery) 544-9251. Clay Dreams: Salmon Slippers and Stargazy Pie. Chloe White exhibits sculpture and drawings. Frame Works: 339 Marsh 542-9000. 20 Year celebration: retrospective showcasing artists that have shown with us over the past 20 years. SLOART.com GALA Center: 1060 Palm 541-4252. Fred Gowland’s…
Yo, SLO
Dan Woehrle’s exhibit at Picking Daisies might, at first glance, appear to be a mash of incongruous elements. After all, the stencil artist, who goes by the moniker Stenzskull, is best known for his portraits of celebrities and musicians. But the work he’s displaying at the napkin store in The Creamery is decidedly SLO-centric, as…
Facing the fire squad
The latest drama unfolding at the Pewter Plough Playhouse is a ticket-free affair that has not only drawn the curtain on stage productions, but shut down the entire structure, piano bar and all. Supporters of the playhouse have until July 31 to raise $32,000 to install a new sprinkler system, and in the interim have…
See spectacular orchids
Imagine a room filled with hundreds of flowers and rich earthy fragrances. The blossoms, ranging from butterfly-like white to clustered yellow-and-red-speckled, all spring from one family of flowering plant: the orchid. In fact, one of every 10 naturally occurring plants worldwide is an orchid. Found on every continent except Antarctica, orchids include 35,000 species. Over…
Our own fault
The devasting earthquake in Haiti, the massive rocker in Chile, and the small offshore quakes in Northern California in recent months have heightened concerns about local geologic faults, especially the potential for damage to the nuclear reactors at the Diablo Canyon power station and the storage casks for spent fuel there. What is the risk?…
Cancer central
Between 2003 and 2007 a person living in SLO County was more likely to develop cancer than they would in all but one other county in the state, according to the California Cancer Registry. During the same period, the county had the eighth highest rate of invasive cancer—cancer that spreads into healthy tissues. Why? The…
Air pollution board accepts dune study
The SLO County Air Pollution Control Board on March 24 voted to receive and file a controversial study which blames off-road vehicles for poor air quality in the Nipomo Mesa. Mesa residents concerned about the air pollution filled the room, leaving their signs reading ‘No OHVs’ and ‘Health Over Recreation!’ abandoned outside the San Luis…
Is there or isn’t there a problem in Oceano?
The Oceano Community Services District Board of Directors has almost always fought within itself, even now as it struggles simply to fill a vacant seat. On March 22, Director Pamela Dean filed with the SLO County Superior Court, challenging the appointment of Lori Angello, who was appointed by a questionable “majority” of directors on a…
County supes debate ‘mitigate’
For the most part, utility developers and local consultants loved the changes county planners made to the Conservation and Open Space Element (COSE) of the county’s general plan. On the other hand, environmental wonks and local activists bashed the same changes as a sign that county planners are kowtowing to big-energy developers. Some supervisors took…
The paper goes electro
New Times has made the jump into the 21st Century. That’s right, we have a podcast now—and video. Both can be found in the new “Multimedia” section at newtimesslo.com. The podcast, The First One’s Always Free, is in fact always free, with new episodes posted regularly. Send input, ideas for content, and hate mail to…
County gets cheap on destroyed pot
The county is learning that replacing six pounds of high-quality cannabis doesn’t come cheap. In a historical move, the county offered a $15,000 monetary settlement to Kimberley Marshall, a qualified medical marijuana patient whose medicine was seized a year ago and subsequently destroyed by the SLO County Sheriff’s Department. Marshall, 46, of Los Osos, rejected…
Pat Mahan, Director of Operations at Fun Ride
NEW TIMES: How did you get the idea to start the company? MAHAN: Well, car sharing started around 1987 in Europe, whereas car sharing came to the states around ten years ago. Our owner Mark Shaffer always thought it would be a great concept. However, car sharing was mostly in urban areas. Mark was interested…
Empty promises
Health-care reform passed. Can you hear it? “Yes we can! Yes we can!” The Republicans are still clawing their eyes out over the whole thing and 39 Democrats shied away because signing onto the abortion portion (do I smell a future Dr. Seuss tale?) of the bill might kill them in the next election. “Sure…
Bear should not be hunted in SLO County
Last year, hundreds of local residents opposed a state proposal for what would have been the first-ever hunting season for black bear in San Luis Obispo County. Now, the California Department of Fish and Game is proposing a similar hunt with the same fatal flaws. It is again time for all county residents to loudly…
Hampian is no hero
The SLO City Council surreptitiously approved the naming of the Roller Hockey and Multi Use Courts (skate park) at Santa Rosa Park in honor of former City Manager Ken Hampian. Hampian’s performance as city manager was questionable at best and I see this recognition as a good-old-boy reward from his pro-growth cronies on the council.…
Iraq war is worth the losses
I lost a lot to Iraq; friends, heroes, family, and pieces of myself I work on replacing every day. I told my wife, who had our baby boy of six months and our six-year-old son to raise alone, to stop watching the news. The media has been lying to us for years, and the conflict…
Going to hell in a bucket
The Republican “leaders” spout their horror over the Democrats’ use of the “Deem and Execute” procedure to pass the Health Insurance Reform Bill. Is it political amnesia or hypocrisy to “forget” that when they were the majority in Congress, they used the very same procedure more than one hundred times to avoid a filibuster of…
Get busy
One hundred and forty seven years ago, a weary Republican president stood on a battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and resolved “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” One hundred and seventeen years later, a cowboy actor portraying a Republican president declared, “Government is not the…
Not pot
I very much enjoy New Times but urge you not to use the word pot when referring to medical cannabis, which is a legitimate and recognized medication legalized by California in 1996 that actually was sanctioned by Morro Bay as early as 1993. The AMA has recommended re-categorizing it as a schedule II drug, meaning…
3-D breeds germs
I recently saw Avatar in 3-D locally and though the film impressed me, the theater staff did not. Evidently, they have no means of sanitizing the 3-D glasses between shows. When the previous audience exited, and again when my film let out, I watched the employees put the glasses right back into the box from…
Mesa schools should protect children from pollution
After reading Matt Fountain’s story “Dust Kickers” (March 18), I am concerned particulate air pollution could affect children attending schools on the Nipomo Mesa. Schools have many outside activities, including competitive sports. Children are being exposed to dangerous air pollution and they should be protected now. The schools need to know which 90 days per…
Education investment sustains employment
Your article “Cuesta students will march in Sacramento” (March 18) about demonstrations at the capitol against budget cuts to education says Cal Poly students will not participate in the protest because “it takes place over their spring break and student support is lacking.” I find that funny and revealing. Reading between the lines one would…
Protect bears
The San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors recently voted to send aresolution to the State Fish and Game Department in opposition to the department’s plan to allow the first-ever bear hunt in SLO County. Several Supervisors had already submitted letters opposing the hunt. Here’s a suggestion to stop the carnage: The Board should immediately adopt…
Break free?
I am dismayed by the colorful full-page advertisement for Camel smokeless tobacco on page 19 of the March 11 New Times. The ad’s “Break Free” slogan is contradictory in so many ways. The clever but ironic marketing schemes of the tobacco industry would have us believe we can “break free” from cigarette smoking to a…
Liberty School 2007 Cuvée Central Coast
This easy-drinking blend of Rhone varieties offers tasty flavors of black cherries, plums, and briary blackberries with nuances of pepper and mixed spices. It lingers nicely on the palate. A cuvée of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Mourvedre and Viognier, the well-balanced wine will complement beef, smoked pork, or lamb. A very good buy at $14…
Vina Robles 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Jardine
I loved this delicious, refreshing white wine from winemaker Matthias Gubler. He ferments it in stainless steel tanks to preserve the varietal character and ages it on the lees three months to create a lush texture. It’s California style but classic with its pretty aromas and flavors of grapefruit, grass, minerals, and lime. It’s the…
Two great wine festivals
Two wonderful wine-and-food festivals will take place in mid-April: The first is the Earth Day Food & Wine Festival, which supports farmers who grow grapes and/or produce wine in ways that nurture a healthy environment. The other important event is the Cal Poly Wine Festival Weekend, which supports nearly 280 Wine and Viticulture majors who…
Clubs
Goin’ South … CAFÉ ANDREINI: 131 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 481-6117. Thurs.: Live music at 6pm. COFFEE BEAN AND TEA LEAF: 750 Five Cities Dr., Pismo Beach, 773-6420. Music Night every Sat., 6:30-8:30pm. DOLPHIN BAY/LIDO: 2727 Shell Beach Rd., Shell Beach, 773-4300 or TheDolphinBay.com. ELMO’S NIPOMO SALOON: 131 South Thompson Road, Nipomo, 929-5362.…
