Cover Story
Growing up gaming
It’s close to noon on a Saturday and three guys are huddled around a computer monitor staring at lines of code. The room is hot, the stagnant air thick with a dank smell like that of a high-school locker room. Empty Pepsi cans litter the tables. The only sounds are the dull hum of computer…
Confession of a homophobe
I am accused of being a homophobe because I believe one’s sexual orientation is not fixed and is changeable, that same-sex sexual practices, though legal, are morally wrong. Understanding my First Amendment right, I join the majority that supported Proposition 8 to say that marriage is between a man and a woman, believing sexual morality…
A little taste of Texas soul
Joe Koenig likes to keep things sparse. After all, his sound is about lyrics and melody—his power as the songwriter amplified by his minimalist approach. Most of his songs are autobiographical. In fact, on his website texas-soul.com he claims that if you organized his songs in the right order, they’d tell his life’s story. The…
Poor Nipomo Mesa air linked to off-roaders
It’s official: Off-road recreational vehicles are messing with the air quality of the Nipomo Mesa. That’s according to a scientific study by the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution District, released Feb. 22. High levels of coarse airborne particles—small enough to breathe in—are the root cause of the problem, and not necessarily vehicle exhaust emissions…
Cal Poly president selection board includes lobbyist for big ag
The search committee created to advise the California State Trustees in the hunt for a new Cal Poly president is made up of representatives from the school’s administration, faculty, alumni, and students. There’s also a single member listed as “community member.” The casual reader might assume “community member” references someone from the area around the…
What is your weirdest dream?
Crystal Zimmerman computer salesperson “I have a weird zombie-apocalypse dream. But when I wake up in the middle of the night afterward and it’s just a little too quiet—that’s the real freaky part.” Michael Mullen cellular-telephone company manager “I was playing five-on-five basketball with Team U.S.A.—Shaq and I pretty much dominated.” Mike Curren retired “When…
The Scottish play
According to a longstanding superstition among theater folk, saying the name Macbeth inside a theater brings bad luck to a production and those performing it. The responsibility for the play’s ill luck is rumored to lie at the door of the bard himself, who supposedly used incantations and rites performed by real witches in the…
Sinatra fever!
To get myself in the mood to write about Frank Sinatra this week, I’ve made a martini in honor of this weekend’s Swingin’ with Sinatra Martini Night at the SLO Little Theatre, the site of next week’s Art Bash! (See you there Saturday, Feb. 27). I didn’t have any gin (or vodka, for that matter),…
When epics collide
The Cat in the Hat’s tall, floppy, famous headgear, bearing the classic red and white stripes, is as widely known as Dr. Seuss himself and has become the iconic hallmark for Seussical, The Musical. The story is woven together for the stage from several of Theodor Seuss Geisel’s many beloved books (enough to dedicate a…
The wyrd and the dead
The basic outline for the plot to William Shakespeare’s Macbeth can be explained in a children’s book. If you give the Thane of Glamis (Macbeth, the title character) the title Thane of Cawdor, he’s going to want to be king. And if he manages to become king, through foul and treacherous murder, he will be…
Area candidates disclose their sources
If financial statements are any indication of how well candidates are faring against each other, some political races could be very close in the June 8 primary elections. According to campaign financial disclosures filed earlier this month, Congresswoman Lois Capps stands head and shoulders above two Republican challengers for the 23rd District House seat she’s…
Corrections
The net loss of prime farmland in SLO County was incorrectly reported in the Feb. 18 story “Is ag dying?” The actual net loss of prime farmland between 1992 and 2006 was 1,717 acres. Kyle Gillette manages Thousand Hills Pet Resort (“Fine dorms, a top-notch school,” Feb. 11
Oil and solar are on the agenda
On March 2, SLO County supervisors will likely approve amendments to the environmental work on a 6.8-square-mile solar project and additional production out of the Conoco Phillips oil refinery. Two items are scheduled on the Board of Supervisors’ consent agenda. One item would amend a contract of the Environmental Impact Report for SunPower’s solar voltaic…
SLO city budget outlook: grim
The San Luis Obispo City Council voted to establish a firm hiring freeze and restrict staff travel to help deal with a $1.5-million budget shortfall. A sharp drop in tax revenues caused much of the shortfall: Sales tax receipts dropped 5 percent, and taxes on hotel customers dropped by 10 percent from the last fiscal…
SLO County supes pick their battles
SLO County supervisors chose to drop a proposed increase of appeal fees on coastal projects and thereby avoid a battle in the legislature after a few persuasive calls from California Coastal Commission Executive Director Peter Douglas. Coastal projects operate under a different set of rules than those in inland areas. Most significantly, anyone can appeal,…
SLO city allocates $1.15 million for new software
The San Luis Obispo City Council recently allocated $1.15 million to update and replace much of its Information Technology software. The city had little choice but to allot the money because it had to replace much of the work of Bonnie McKee Hoadley, a local IT expert who passed away last year. McKee installed, programmed,…
It’s alive!
What qualities make good tattoo artists? Would a kid who just ordered his equipment from a magazine, who tests his latest style of barbed wire on customers pass muster? No. Only seasoned, free-thinking artisans earn respect; men and women who’ve been around the block, who breathe life into body art. Meet the creative powerhouse team…
Chanell Heartman
NEW TIMES: How has remodeling changed business? HEARTMAN: We’ve been getting plenty of new faces as well as our regulars coming back to enjoy the new look. Right away our guests have been telling us how much the resort has improved, especially the food and service. NEW TIMES: When does Happy Hour take place and…
Whaaaaaa!
Hey! You! Get over it! Maybe I’m just in a bad mood. Or perhaps I just haven’t had enough Vitamin D lately. It’s either general crankiness or I’m getting sick of the whiners. My first shut-up-and-deal-with-it award goes to none other than Assembly candidate Matt Kokkonen. First of all, I already agree with what you’re…
Jail pink slips threaten public safety
img2978Sheriff Pat Hedges recently had the unfortunate task of notifying 11 valued employees they may soon be out of a job due to potential budget cuts in the upcoming fiscal year. The loss of even one job in an economy such as this is troubling, but the repercussions of these particular cuts may have a…
Ban street-corner vendors in AG
As a long-standing merchant in Arroyo Grande, I am very concerned about the city’s tolerance and policies of street vendors within the city limits. This past Valentine’s Day weekend, there were many people set up on random corners throughout the city selling fresh flowers. I realize the city issued permits to these vendors, but I…
Why were women slighted?
In his story entitled “Rejoice, web surfers,” (Feb. 18), Robert A. McDonald mentioned the exciting possibility of high-tech businesses coming to San Luis Obispo, drawn by the prospect of ultra-high speed Internet connections by Google. Imagine all the new jobs! Sounds great, right up until the part where he assumed this might “keep college-age males…
Animal Services management must improve
I have to comment on the recent letter written by my friend Larry Kahn (“Lay off Anderson,” Feb. 11) pertaining to The Shredder’s “Change (Back)” article (Feb. 4). I’m not commenting to stir up controversy or to ignore the fact that things at the county animal shelter could be much worse. But the issue of…
Kokkonen’s dismissal of man-made global warming is nothing but more hot air
Right-wing extremist Matt Kokkonen unloaded another tiresome tirade about Al Gore’s fight against global warming (“Gore is cashing in,” Feb. 18). Which public office is Kokkonen running for this year? In his criticism of Gore, he tells us that to win over the voters, “first you create a crisis, then you scare the masses, then…
Hooray for global warming
Regarding Ray Bracken’s comments on the weather (“The evidence is clear on global warming,” Feb. 18) as we experience one of the coldest winters and feel sorry for the thousands of people back east who have to find their cars under a blanket of heavy snow: I am glad we are having global warming as…
Hill should advocate smart growth
Tom Murray may not “recall seeing a Sierra Club endorsement of Adam Hill in the last election” (“Don’t discount Patterson and Hill,” Feb. 11), but we’re happy to refresh his memory. Not only was Hill endorsed by the Sierra Club, (see the April 2008 issue of the Santa Lucian, our chapter newsletter), he was specifically…
Decision to deny Templeton subdivision was sound
With his usual rush to misrepresent the forest for the trees (which he also claims cause air pollution) Andy Caldwell has completely mischaracterized the Planning Commission’s vote to deny a proposed subdivision in Templeton. (“Will our lifestyle suffer a SLO death?” Feb 18.) While it was true that staff was recommending denial of the project…
Think globally, act locally
It has been forty years since the first Earth Day, April 22, 1970, which was intended to raise awareness and change how we respond to environmental threats. Today, the perils are even greater. But one thing we’ve learned over the decades is that each person can make a difference. That is why the Earth Day…
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. Karaoke…
Radog 2007 Riesling Evie’s Blend Santa Lucia Highlands
This refreshing white, another label by winemaker Dan Tudor of Tudor Wine Company, is quite delicious on its own. It offers sweet flavors of ripe pear, Mandarin orange, and lime notes with pretty floral nuances. It’s well balanced and only slightly spicy from the addition of eight percent Gewurztraminer. Riesling is the queen of white…
My favorite brunches!
With the ideal weather we enjoy here nearly year round, a beautiful Sunday morning always makes me crave a great brunch. My husband Dan and I both hail from the Bay Area, where we regularly enjoyed Champagne brunch on Sunday mornings. In the ‘90s we had several favorites in San Francisco: Postrio, Grand Café, Perry’s,…
Look, Sharpe!
Last year a band I’d never heard of came to town. It was the middle of the week. The club wasn’t especially crowded. I was tired and the band took forever getting on stage. Thank God I didn’t leave, because that band has turned out to be one of my new favorites. The best way…
