Cover Story
The long, lonely road home
On August 26, 2007, U.S. Army Specialist John Fish had already served a tour in Iraq and was training for a second deployment, to Afghanistan, when he walked into the New Mexico desert leaving a suicide note behind. “I have some things to take care of,” the 19-year-old wrote. “I won’t be coming back.” …
Petra – the new seventh wonder of the world
Sticking to a tight budget doesn’t have to mean you’re stuck eating fast food, even if your first thought when you’re scrimping and saving is a visit to Jack’s. The fact is we’ve always been able to eat well when money is limited; you just have to be choosy about where you eat. Call me…
Art Center building not too arty after all
Plans for a new SLO Art Center are moving forward despite concerns that it is out of character with neighboring historic buildings. The new building will stand three stories tall and use modern materials and such design features as a conical atrium shooting through the middle of the building. Mayor Dave Romero described that…
You just bought yourself another Saturday
New Times Who are you? Shannon Lowrie I’m the director of The Breakfast Club and the owner of the Studio Black Box Theatre and one of the teachers as well … and artistic director of Studio Players. Jake [McGuire] and I take turns directing. New Times How did this production come about? By the way,…
Here on earth
On the cutest damn street corner in Paso Robles, at 13th and Park streets, amid winetasting rooms and restaurants, is poised an airy art gallery—half fine and half craft. Firefly Gallery owner Emily Miller (along with her mom, Laurel) has been showcasing the most non-traditional art she can find in the last two and a…
Who is your hero? How do they inspire you?
Jeannie Goshgarian attorney “My mom, because she is always optimistic. Even when everyone else is negative towards a situation, she stays positive.” Jon Goldstein bookkeeper/ tax preparer “My dad. He was actually a lot of people’s hero, because he was in charge of a mobile dental clinic that worked on underserved children. I can’t imagine a…
Footloose and klezmatic
There’s sort of no magical story that we were drifting on a boat as the sun went down and we realized we needed to perform together,” Eric Stern, Artistic Director and founder of Vagabond Opera said of his four full-time cohorts and fellow musicians. Instead, Stern was a classically trained opera singer, a tenor, who…
New York takes better care
Living in Long Island, New York for the past 10 years, I’ve taken many trips to Fire Island to see the beautiful dunes and all the wonderful wildlife and organisms it holds. Just arriving in Nipomo recently, I was excited to hear that you had dunes as well. Taking a trip there, I was astonished…
Baha’is to be tried in Iran
The Baha’i community of San Luis Obispo wishes to bring attention to the ongoing oppression of the members of the faith in Iran. Since the inception of the faith in 1863, Iranian Baha’is have been subject to such persecutions as denial of education, seizure of businesses and property, torture, and murder. Seven members are to…
Off-roaders don’t whimper
Regarding Diane Kosarko’s letter of Feb. 5 (“Ban beach vehicles”): Diane, it is not hail to the almighty dollar (although I believe dollars do play a part). It is hail to the almighty Bill of Rights and the freedoms of choice we enjoy as a result of that document. Those who were or are going…
Ban vehicles from Oceano beach
Bravo to Kelly Devaney (“Change Oceano,” Jan. 22) for advocating a safer and saner Oceano Dunes beach. It’s time to figure out how to manage this stretch of coast intelligently. And mega-phooeys to Bradley Zane (“Get lost, greedy naturalists,” Feb. 12) for his caustic, self-righteous rant against Devaney. I, too, have enjoyed motorcycle riding at…
Eyes right
True conservatives believe: • $800 billion to help our own country is too much, but $1 trillion for the Iraq War was money well spent. • Spending is not stimulus, it’s how liberals waste our tax dollars. • Tax cuts for the rich are the best way to help middle-class Americans—trickle-down economics works. • Rush…
Cecil Adams goes too far
Though I read New Times every week, I rarely read the Detours Straight Dope feature; I’m just not usually interested. But the Feb. 5 installment, “Can hermaphrodites get themselves pregnant?” caught my eye because of the humiliating and sexist cartoon accompanying it. To me, the figure on the “receiving” end looks more female than male, hence…
Americans pay for the violence
Norman Mehl’s letter (“Jews are cleaner and smarter than Arabs,” Feb. 12) reminded me of experiences in Israel. A bank teller said, “I hope you wash your own dishes,” in response to my staying with Arabs. A woman, pointing to a statue, told her 7-year-old daughter, “That is a great man, he killed lots of…
Why stoop?
The letter in the Feb. 12 edition, entitled “Jews are cleaner and smarter than Arabs,” is such a repugnant, a-historical, racist, and ill-informed bit of tripe that I have to ask myself if New Times is being deliberately provocative by allowing such garbage to insult its readers. If you guys are fishing for letters to…
Call it hate
Norman Mehl’s letter (“Jews are cleaner and smarter than Arabs,” Feb. 12) is nothing but a hateful and baseless rant against Arab people. It is foolish to blame the complex situation in Israel and Palestine on one broad and diverse group of people. Mehl says “Arabs preach hate to their children,” but it is Mehl…
Help shape Atascadero
I invite all Atascadero residents to participate in guiding our collective future by attending the Feb. 24 Atascadero City Council meeting. The City’s consultant, Applied Development Economics (ADE), will present a draft economic development strategy for council and community input. Economic development remains the top council priority, but the City needs broad-based community participation to…
Santa Cristina (Antinori) 2006 Tuscany
This light-bodied Sangiovese, which has a touch of Merlot, is quite tasty. Offering plums, berries, and spice flavors touched with notes of leather and herbs, it’s just the ticket for pasta with sausage, meaty lasagna, or grilled lamb chops with Italian herbs. Just $7.99 at BevMo!
Zaca Mesa 2006 Grenache Santa Ynez Valley
Fragrant with pretty cranberry, raspberry, and boysenberry aromas and flavors, it’s nicely balanced with minerals, spice, and smoky notes. Its luscious fruit flavors linger long on the finish. This delicious wine is quite balanced, which belies its high alcohol at 15 percent. I love this variety with gamy dishes like lamb, quail, or pheasant, and…
Vixen
New Times: What exactly do you do? Vixen: I do a massage in an outfit and then a striptease. It’s all entertainment. I used to entertain a lot of bachelor parties, but found that was tedious and changed my approach. Now I work with one client at a time. New Times: How long have you…
Smoked on the water
I didn’t think I was going to write about it, but I did. I’m not really a sports guy, yet here I am, spouting my opinion like I’m someone who follows box scores and mid-season trades. I didn’t even watch the Super Bowl this year. Anyway, here goes. Feel free to let me know if…
‘Disneyland’ revisited
‘Disneyland’ explained: A goal to make downtown San Luis Obispo beautiful Over many years the city has made wonderful progress in improving the appearance of downtown. This includes placing overhead lines underground, planting trees, replacing poor sidewalks, controlling private signs, renewing underground utilities, reducing flooding, and recently repaving the streets and installing a few decorative…
There’s a new brew in town
Home brewers John Moule and Eric Beaton are living every home brewer’s dream. It began in the comfort of their kitchens, and then their personal brew operations overflowed into their backyards and garages. Now their passion for beer has settled in downtown San Luis Obispo and resulted in Creekside Brewing Company. Creekside Brewing Company hopes…
Tumors and sex changes: a goby story
It’s hard not to see the irony: A common chemical sometimes used in spermicides may be turning fish into hermaphrodites. The chemical is called nonylphenol (pronounced “non-il-fe-NALL”) and it is increasingly being eyed as the cause of some unexpected developments in goby fish. The compound is used most commonly for industrial purposes, but is also…
Trench deaths bring fines
Teichert Construction has been hit with $140,000 in fines for an accident that killed two men in Paso Robles last October, and criminal charges could also be on the way. Jake Gaines and Manuel Villagomez drowned while working inside a 30-inch diameter section of pipe as part of the Nacimiento Water Project in Paso Robles.…
Correction
The Feb. 12 cover story “Our coast is not safe from drilling” incorrectly said U.S. Rep. Lois Capps has not taken any official actions to stop offshore drilling. Capps joined a letter of opposition to then-Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and has consistently opposed drilling. The statement was intended to refer only to the current, weeks-old…
More complaints filed against Hedges
The mother of convicted marijuana dispensary operator Charles Lynch is the latest of his supporters to file a complaint against the SLO County Sheriff, Patrick Hedges, for his role in bringing down the dispensary. Lynch’s mother, Bodine Jones, filed a complaint with the Sheriff’s Department demanding an investigation into Hedges’ actions against the dispensary and…
Ag cluster chucking?
Do agricultural cluster subdivisions preserve agriculture as intended or merely tempt people to build homes over their farms? There’s no clear answer to that question, but county officials agree that the original intent has been lost. After increasing public criticism, particularly following the Santa Margarita Ranch project, county planners will re-draft the ag cluster policy.…
Ending homelessness a tough but well-paying job
Ending homelessness in SLO County will be neither easy nor cheap. In fact, it will cost $100,000 just to hire someone whose job will entail finding funding. It’s part of the county’s so-called 10-year plan to end homelessness, although those writing the plan pitch it as more a step in the right direction than a…
Fee increases proposed for Cal Poly
Cal Poly students not tossing their graduation caps come June may be facing fee increases until they do. Students will have the opportunity to voice their opinions about a fee increase that would add $3,600 to the cost of a four-year degree, by participating in an online vote on March 11 and 12. “The vote…
With friends like these
I’m going to talk about Sen. Abel Maldonado in a little bit, but first I’m going to tell you a story. Aesop was some Greek or Roman or Etruscan guy—he was from what elitists like to call “antiquity”—who wrote stories about animals making bad decisions and paying for their mistakes. You know the shtick: Lazy…
Kung Folk!
The very first time I heard “Wicked Way,” my favorite track on Ben Taylor’s new album The Legend of Kung Folk, I loved it. Not only is it bitingly funny, it’s also got a chorus so hooky I feel like a flounder being reeled in. “I just want to take you out and get you…
