Cover Story
Looking back, looking forward
Anyone who’s been on this earth long enough to find pleasure in reading newspapers and magazines has read their share of years in review. Because, after all, every year there is a year to review. Some years are forgettable, some are painful, some forever alter the course of history. # # # # # #…
Be fair, Shredder
This responds to your shred of our city attorney for his letter to a person who hired several young men to feed parking meters. Predictably, the Shredder played the letter as a “City Scroogeâ€? holiday story. Here’s the real story. Merchants depend upon the turnover of on-street parking spaces for their customers. Parking limits and…
What was the point?
I do not understand why the staff of the New Times decided to print the article “Coffee is not a crimeâ€? when Nancy Billings uses multiple personal attacks on the theater managers, including “coffee nazi,â€? “catty little schoolgirl,â€? and “Miss Power Trip,â€? when she was not able to follow the rules of the theater. The…
Those were the days
The best thing about the past is that it’s already happened, so there are no surprises, except when it comes back to haunt you like a carton of kung pao chicken you find at the back of your fridge, and the last time you ordered takeout was during the start of the war in Iraq,…
I’m just doing my job
As the manager of Downtown Centre Cinemas, I was disappointed to read Nancy Billings’ response to our beverage policy ( “Coffee is not a crime” Commentary, Dec. 23-30). In her personal attack, she stated a couple of things correctly: We do not allow hot beverages into the theater, and I did approach her when she…
Sex exists, and it sells
Like all businesses, Diamond Adult World caters to the needs of its customers. The majority of adults in the world have sex, either with a partner of the same sex, the opposite sex, or themselves. Like most activities that consumers participate in, they tend to seek products that will enhance their experience. Mr. Diamond just…
Spring Forward
More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by it; almost 80 percent of the human body is composed of it. Our most precious natural resource: water. And when it comes to clean, refreshing drinking water, there’s one name in San Luis Obispo that’s been quenching the thirst for a century. In 2005,…
God help us
To this reader’s nose, letter writers Michael Larrea and David Baskett reveal the ignorance and intolerance the neo-con “ilkâ€? emit against those who disagree. In their arguments against Bill Denneen’s point of view, both writers eschew reasonable forms of intelligent debate and resort to vitriol and begging the question. Mr. Larrea snidely asserts that Bill…
It’s about the book, not Bush
Since New Times (Dec. 9-11) titled my letter “Bush is mentally ill,â€? a title that I would not have chosen, it appears that Phillip A. Moffat of Morro Bay misunderstood my letter to the editor. I doubt that he read the book, because his rebuttal to my letter didn’t make sense. It seems that all…
Right on, Bill
Thanks for printing Bill Denneen’s “It’s time to revolt” recently (Commentary, Dec. 9-16). I sent it to friends. And who are these characters, Messrs. Larrea and Baskett (Letters, Dec. 16-23)? One invites him to move to a jungle and/or off himself, and the other carps away that Bill might not be sufficiently angry at the…
Resolving your resolutions
Don’t tell me about new years resolutions. Every year I resolve to improve myself, and every year I end up even worse. I blame this phenomenon on self-help books. I’ve tried “The One Minute Managerâ€? and “The Two Day Fast.â€? I’ve studied “The Three Minute Therapyâ€? and “The Four Agreements.â€? I’ve applied “The Five Tibetan…
Kudos for the Red Cross
My daughter suffered a true loss two days before Thanksgiving. Her apartment burst into flames, causing her to lose all that she had. Pictures, music, clothes … all the things we take for granted every day of our lives. Her biggest loss was her kitten, who was inside the apartment at the time. In the…
Don’t destroy Cambria with growth
The construction industry and its friends employ many means to realize their objectives. Having former and current developers, architects, engineers, business owners, their relatives and friends serving on city councils, planning commissions, and water service districts only encourages one thing: more building (and sprawl). Pismo Beach is one local example. The current Cambria Community Services…
Silly laws are silly laws
I guess the downtown businesses are getting their comeuppance since they are now faced with breaking a silly law preventing them from “dumping coins in downtown metersâ€? (Shredder, Dec 23-30). When nonprofit and political booths wish to display bumper stickers at their booths at Farmers’ Market, many agree that it’s a silly rule that prevents…
