Cover Story
Royal Flush
If all goes well, construction crews will break ground on the Los Osos sewer project before the world comes to an end in late 2012. After decades of bickering and strife, the likelihood of about 12,000 residents having a viable sewer system seems on par with crappy Hollywood action directors dreaming up a new way…
What makes you geek out?
Ross Sprague Firestone manager “When my friends get excited about partying and hanging out with good-looking girls.” Brandon Silvera sales and marketing of reusable bags “Some legit tunes like Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, and other classics.” Meaghan O’Meara student “Exercising: hiking and getting out there!” Alison Lenci student “Honestly, calculus. I can’t get enough. I…
Maria Kelly, ECOSLO Hikes and Trailworks program director
NEW TIMES How did ECOSLO get started? KELLY It was started 40 years ago by locals and environmental activists who wanted to help encourage others to protect and maintain the beauty of SLO County. Some of these activists who started the program are still working with us to help provide an education and inspirational means…
The president’s budget is irresponsible
President Barack Obama’s budget proposal is a major disappointment. It does not deal seriously with massive deficit spending, and in fact proposes another $7 trillion in deficit spending over the life of the budget. It does nothing to address the looming entitlement train wreck. The underlying assumptions regarding economic growth, interest rates, and revenues are…
We can’t really buy safety
The budget has been submitted to congress, and the debate begins. We would all like a budget that will save taxpayer money and reduce the deficit. To accept a budget that will cost us billions in interest is foolish and wasteful. But whose back do we balance the budget on: the rich or the poor?…
What planet are you from, Republicans?
The Republicans in Congress have such an elitist perception of what their fellow Americans desperately need. Their proposed cuts to health care, Planned Parenthood, Social Security, Americorps, etc., combined with their poisonous votes to shield greenhouse gas polluters, only make sense to me if I conclude that they are from some vengeful human-hating planet and…
Tea Partiers, consider learning Egyptian
As a registered Democrat, I was sent “The White House Weekly Address” that includes a YouTube video of President Barack Obama giving a speech about the demonstrations in Egypt. He told of the passion and dignity of the Egyptian people who were demonstrating against the government of Egypt and that this had been an inspiration…
Liberals need to grow into responsible adults
While one opinion page contributor was bragging about how proud he was to be liberal because they’re so tolerant, compassionate, and care so much about people, I was wondering: Why, then, all the hostility, hatred, and rage directed toward conservatives? Liberals don’t have a problem with multiculturalism, illegal immigrants who refuse to assimilate, Muslims who…
SLO, wake up to the attack on public employees
I applaud SLO police and firefighters for refusing to make nice over lunch with the Chamber of Commerce while Chamber leaders falsely attack them as villains responsible for SLO’s recession-induced financial woes (“Unions boycott Chamber awards,” Feb. 10). Chamber leaders for two decades have been given an inside seat in city policy-making. This is unfair,…
Teachers are important; compensate accordingly
Roy Berger in his recent letter (“Teachers: Stop whining and quit,” Feb. 10) says he’s tired of teachers whining. If they don’t like their jobs they should quit. I’m reminded that teachers are the lowest-paid members of a major profession, a profession that molds our young people into knowledgeable productive adults. I can think of…
A little clarity
To understand how our government sees Dan De Vaul, you only have to know one thing: They think the harm he’s doing is more harm than the harm he’s preventing. Granted, it’s potential harm he’s causing, which is another way of saying no one’s been harmed. An even better interpretation is this curmudgeonly rancher with…
Clubs
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Intentionally ambiguous
Whether he likes it or not, artist Jamie Coxon gravitates toward tedious projects. Coxon, who’s spent the last 10 years perfecting his craft of woodcuts and printmaking, described the process as nuanced and highly meditative. Generally, the artist generates a rough sketch before creating a woodcut, although, he says, “I’m usually pretty anxious just to…
Thinking inside the box!
“No, I will not be fat Elvis and marry people at your Las Vegas wedding chapel-themed Meathead Movers truck,” says I to New Times Managing Editor Ashley Schwellenbach, who is once again trying to rope me into one of her cockamamie schemes, this time involving themed moving trucks parked at a “secret location,” which I…
What’s the deal with the SLO Comedy Festival?
Merriam-Webster defines comedy as “humorous entertainment,” which is a little vague. New Times defines it as “watching a person be unexpectedly struck in the groin,” which is oddly specific. There are countless competing definitions in between, but none of them are entirely accurate, because humor varies from one person to another. By bringing 40 professional…
Nothin’ but a hound dog
If anyone can be described as stupidly brilliant, it would be ’50s radio DJ Alan Freed, the self-destructive hero of SLO Little Theatre’s latest undertaking, This is Rock ‘n’ Roll. Freed, known for popularizing the term “rock ‘n’ roll,” is remembered for his perpetual fight to bring “black” music to the mainstream airwaves. But despite…
Do the robot
Should we build a love machine?”S asks Dr. John Sullins, Sonoma State University professor and lecturer on the ethics of robots and sex. The question, also posed by Cal Poly’s Ethics and Emerging Sciences group, is still something of an oddity, capturing the imaginations of as many artists as scientists, philosophers, and engineers. The Flaming…
Chappellet 2008 Napa Valley Mountain Cuvee
My pal Ash told me I would love this classic Bordeaux blend, and indeed I did. A cuvee of 52 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 43 percent Merlot, 3 percent Petit Verdot, and 1 percent each of Malbec and Cabernet Franc, it was intended for early consumption. Bursting with ripe fruit aromas and flavors of black cherries,…
Pink Fiddle 2010 Pinot Noir Rose Fiddlestix Vineyard
People still have a bad attitude about pretty, pink-hued wines, but we in the wine industry happen to know what you’re missing. Totally dry despite its bright cranberry color, this expressive wine offers ripe strawberry, tangy cherry, and pomegranate flavors highlighted with nuances of spice. It’s meant to enjoy while fresh and young, whether you…
Home brewers go big time — like it’s no big deal!
It’s difficult to open a new business during a recession. Add in minimal professional experience for even more of a challenge. When faced with such obstacles, however, boldness, verve, and ego can step into the breach and help get a product or new business noticed in a big way. And that’s just what I discovered…
Singular sensation
There’s a new busker performing at SLO’s Downtown Thursday Night Farmers Market. You’ve probably heard whispers of him while making your weekly produce purchases. But may I present to you the charming juggler and unicyclist, Mark Wilder. When asked where he sees his talent taking him, the humble performer from Morro Bay said, “The dream…
Breaking the ties that bind?
The San Luis Obispo City Council voted to put binding arbitration and a pension reform amendment on the ballot for an Aug. 30 election. The vote promises to be the opening act at a drama that will likely put the city in the forefront of California’s labor and pension conflicts. After more than two hours…
The big house will expand
Satisfied that the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department isn’t simply seeking more shelf space for female inmates, SLO County supervisors on Feb. 22 decided to move forward with a $36.4 million expansion for the county’s women’s jail. This follows a September 2010 hearing in which a majority of the supervisors shied away from the…
San Luis Trust seized
It’s official: San Luis Trust Bank is now First California Bank. After the troubled San Luis Obispo-based institution was placed into receivership on Feb. 18 by the Office of Thrift Supervision, a regulatory agency under the U.S. Dept. of Treasury, it reopened on Feb. 22 as the 19th branch of the Camarillo-based First California Bank.…
Dunes committees to disband
Two committees created to clean up air quality around the Oceano Dunes will be dissolved, according to a press release by the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District (SLOAPCD). The two committees were formed by a memorandum of agreement among California Department of Parks and Recreation, the County of San Luis Obispo, and…
Nacimiento deaths bring criminal charges
More than three years after arguably the worst accident in the construction of the Nacimiento Water Project, criminal charges were filed relating to the deaths of two Teichert Construction workers. Teichert was hit with a double whammy: criminal charges against a former employee and a $3 million settlement agreement to the San Luis Obispo County…
Despite his best efforts, Dan De Vaul wasn’t able to go to jail.
On Feb. 21, the man who’s housed local homeless residents despite code crackdowns on his ranch woke up, got dressed, and went to the county jail hoping to serve the 88 days he has left on a 90-day jail sentence. Apparently, he forgot to make an appointment. “They told me I would have to have…
Does this eye shadow make me look gay?
Do you like car crashes, train wrecks, natural disasters, roadside bombings, downed planes, or kids dressed in denim who are ramming each other on Big Wheels while screeching like banshees? You do? That’s sort of weird. Anywho, I bet you’ll also like Sexy Time Explosion, a Turbonegro tribute act. Who’s Turbonegro? They’re the glammy Norwegian…
