Cover Story
No guts, no gory
Visitors to www.froguts.com the online hub of a “bio e-learning company” that offers virtual dissection CDs for students and home schoolers are treated to soothing music while a fetal pig floats onto the screen. Once settled in, guests can try demos for a squid, an owl pellet, and, of course, the ubiquitous frog. There’s no…
Add another candle to the cake
You may just glance past it every week, but there’s a little line of numbers on the cover of every issue of New Times, and it rolls forward like an odometer as each new issue comes out. Last week’s read “Vol. 21, No. 52.” This week, barring any typos that I might have missed, reads…
Progressive editor comes to SLO
Civil liberties is a topic that crosses political lines. Given that, people of all political persuasions may be interested in You Have No Rights: Stories of America in an Age of Repression, a new book written by Matthew Rothschild, editor of The Progressive magazine. In the book, Rothschild chronicles tales of everyday citizens being harassed…
Thai to a T
# Whenever I find a dish I love, its flavors haunt me until I’m irresistibly drawn back to the restaurant to eat it again. I know that every foodie understands the compulsion to return to a certain restaurant for a special dish. I’m just glad it doesn’t happen that often. The last time I was…
Grover Beach ponders appeal in Diamond Adult World
Grover Beach officials are considering an appeal of a recent federal court ruling that would allow the owner of an adult-oriented store to return his inventory to all adult-related items. “This is not necessarily the last stop,” said Martin Koczanowicz, Grover Beach’s city attorney. He said he would be meeting with city officials and other…
Charles Lynch pleads not guilty
The man behind San Luis Obispo’s only and now-defunct medical marijuana dispensary recently pleaded not guilty to several federal criminal charges that he distributed large amounts of cannabis, including to minors. On Aug. 6, in a Los Angeles courtroom, Charles Lynch, the former owner of Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers, pleaded not guilty to manufacturing and…
More review needed for Santa Margarita Ranch
The owners of the vast Santa Margarita Ranch have made changes to their proposed agricultural-residential cluster development in an effort to get the county’s approval. A hefty 1,000-page draft environmental impact report identified 11 “Class I” impacts from the proposed gated community of 112 homes, two wineries, and other agricultural uses on 3,778 acres near…
Ramos to step down as head of Cal Poly Journalism Department
Cal Poly’s College of Liberal Arts is searching for a replacement for George Ramos, the Pulitzer Prize-winning L.A. Times writer and editor who’s been the chair of Cal Poly’s Journalism Department for nearly four years. “We will be searching for a new head in the fall,” College of Liberal Arts Dean Linda Halisky told New…
Letters
Property rights need to be balanced Regarding your cover story, “If you want to build it, they will protest” (Aug. 2), I think you need to look more closely at the motives of the two sides, and at issues around fairness and balance. Yes, people have a right to develop property, but the neighbors have…
Blingin’ for a cure
When people think fishing lures, they typically don’t think of wearing them as jewelry. That’s not the case with Mac McBurney, co-founder and chief designer of MacDaddy’s Fishing Lures, Inc. # McBurney, along with president and co-founder Terri Conrad, is creating fishing lures made of sterling silver, gold, or platinum, studded with diamonds. When he…
Like a nose job, but with paper
I’ve been thinking of getting some work done. Yeah, I know we’re supposed to be happy with the nose and chest and lips and gut and butt and all of the other assorted parts we were born with, but I’m just not satisfied. Call me shallow. Seriously. I’ve been called worse. It must be something…
Fast facts
River Oaks Hot Springs & Spa in Paso Robles will host the ninth Annual Winemakers’ Invitational Cook-off on Aug. 11. More than 30 of the Central Coast’s winemakers are expected to compete for the title of winemaker-chef. Pasolivo Olive Oil is the main sponsor for the cook-off, which will feature winemakers preparing cuisine to pair…
The circular path to glory and fun
# Repeatedly moving in the same circular direction is generally a good indication that someone is lost. But watching someone bicycle in a circle for half an hour negotiating corners while traveling 35 to 40 mph mere inches from an opponent is pure entertainment. Entertainment that goes by the title “criterium.” This fast-paced bicycle race…
Hacking bakeries for peace?
# Sometime between Aug. 1 and 2, the city of San Luis Obispo’s gateway website slocity.org was hacked and temporarily hijacked. It might be tempting to read a political message into the target, except that local bakery The Cakery’s website www.slocakery.com was also attacked. In each case, the attackers left in place a message stating…
Have another Allman
# Taking a page from the classic rock songbook with original music influenced by the likes of The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and The Doors Devon Allman’s Honeytribe hit the ground running last August with the release of Torch. The CD received great press from Guitar Player, Guitar World, Relix, Hittin’ The Note, An…
