Cover Story
The Camp Snoopy Files
Ed. Note: We do our best to shed light into the lesser-known hideaways and corners of our fair county, but when it comes to certain institutions, there’s only so much you can say from the outside looking in. Imagination is a wonderful complement to experience, but a poor substitute. When we received a letter from…
Where’s Moon Unit?
I’m so going to the Storm Large show tonight, Thursday, Feb. 9 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $14 presale or $16 at the door), but SLO Brew has a ton of other shows cooked up this week, including Zappa plays Zappa, Dweezil Zappa’s tribute to his late father Frank’s music, happening on Friday, Feb. 10 (7 p.m.;…
Playing those heartstrings
Festival Mozaic may be best known as an annual summer extravaganza, featuring the nation’s top musicians in classical (and not-so-classical) concerts at venues throughout San Luis Obispo County. But Mozaic also lives up to its description as a “year-round music festival” with a WinterMezzo series, taking place during the bleakest months of the year. On…
A really big shoe
Good news! I wasn’t killed, beaten, or even threatened last Friday, Feb. 3 when I stopped into the opening reception for The Phantom Project’s first art show, about which I wrote last week when I chronicled my task as a juror along with Steven DeLuque and Tim Anderson. In fact, people were surprisingly sympathetic—even those…
Not even close
There are some things to be said of a world in which people fall in love by literally falling to the ground, characters named Hope have conversations with former flames about losing hope, another character named Glory carries a paper bag containing her literally broken heart, and women in general are strident, insipid, ring-obsessed, and…
Deep cuts
Behind David Avery’s eerie etching A Post-Traumatic History Lesson is a host of muses. Chief among them are 16th century Italian etchings depicting the plague, characterized as a ghoulish skeleton, snatching up innocent children. A dandy with an unhealthy obsession with a hobbyhorse, characterized in Laurence Sterne’s obscure tome The Life and Opinions of Tristram…
A way to mold your week
If you didn’t already know it, this week is the most important week of the year. It’s national JELL-O week. From Feb. 11-18 you can show your love to a dish that has given the American people so much. Everyone has a JELL-Ostory. Maybe you took a note from The Office’s Jim Halpert and put…
Effort 2009 Pinot Noir Edna Valley
This delicious wine was quite impressive in its rich, dark flavors of black cherry and plum highlighted with bright notes of red berries, plums, herbs, spice, and mineral notes. Enticing from start to finish, it’s only moderately tannic with nicely balanced acidity, making it difficult to resist. This delicious Pinot is a great choice for…
Damilano 2009 Barbera d’Asti DOCG
I discovered this tasty Italian red while dining at Mama’s Meatball in SLO and decided to buy more for my wine cellar. Dark ruby in color, it offers forward aromas and flavors of black cherries, wild blackberries, and tangy boysenberries nicely nuanced with notes of earth and spice. It’s quite drinkable on its own and…
A rebirth in Japanese dining
On Valentine’s Day I find romance in sharing a special meal with my soul mate, Dan Hardesty, especially one that can be eaten without utensils. That’s why I recommend considering SLO’s newest sushi bar, Kumi-Ko in the Marigold Shopping Center, for your romantic evening celebration this Feb. 14. Pronounced ku-mee-ko, it’s not downtown but it’s…
Questions for…Phil Lang, owner of Bon Temps Creole Cafe
NEW TIMES After missing Fat Tuesday last year because of the fire, will this year’s Mardi Gras be a little extra special? LANG Oh yeah. I would like to think it’s always special, but this year we have a higher sense of acknowledging Mardi Gras because of the fire last year. NEW TIMES How…
Eat food? Sign here
It’s time to require the labeling of genetically modified foods. Polls show that more than 90 percent of the public wants to know if their food was produced using genetic engineering—potatoes altered with bacteria genes, corn altered to produce pesticide, “super” pigs altered with human growth genes, tomatoes altered with fish genes, fish altered with…
Round two from Michele
I made this poster months ago before the first planned, Oct. 13, 2011 (didn’t happen) LOCAC meeting, concerning the Morro Coast Audubon Society’s plan to replace 10 Blue Gum Eucalyptus trees per year in the East (8 acres) Sweet Springs with native habitat. This morning, I sent this picture and a (short/mean) “letter to the…
Support life
You could have heard a pin drop…. I asked the ladies in our congregation yesterday if they would be willing to share why they are pro-life; and why we should protect the unborn and discourage abortion. No one knew this was coming and no one knew what to expect. One shared out of her years…
Worry about native species
We human beings have lived in Los Osos for 10 thousand years (or so). We are not an invasive species (no matter where we moved from). Eucalyptus trees are beautiful. They are, however, from a different place from here. A place where they don’t harm the environment (andcan be very useful for reasons other than…
Vote for Ron Paul; win the war on drugs
Say, do you plan to vote in the primary elections? I’m voting for Ron Paul, a Republican. We have open primaries in California, so anyone can vote for any party. He wants to legalize all drugs! He’s got my vote. The only way to successfully “end the war on drugs” is to legalize them all.…
Maybe three wrongs can make a right
To those mourning over lost liberty because of the corrupting influences that financial power has over government, an ironic twist may, for once, yield some just payback. Three travesties have resulted from those corrupting financial influences: The Supreme Court has ruled that corporations are citizens; the Justice Department has proved unwilling to prosecute financial firms…
Greetings from Earth
To what “non-native species” does Anne Kellogg (“An appeal for saving the eucalyptus,” 2/2) think she belongs? Homo Sapiens Erectus have been here for a long time. Did she forget about the Chumash? What planet is she from? There should be a sign in her drawing that says: “Welcome to the Not So Sweet, Sucked…
Creative accounting
It’s always bothered me that schools do a better job teaching students to take standardized tests than performing real-world tasks like managing their finances. Not being the type of person who spends my days at furniture stores counting the number of couches I can imprint my ass onto—actually, that’s the exact type of person I…
Cougars and Mustangs
As springtime approaches, many feel the urge to leave their comfy caves and explore all the goings on in our fine little burg. Over the course of February, Cal Poly is primed to deliver interesting outings to those adventurous souls, presenting everything from master storytellers, to book collection competitions, to roundtable discussions concerning peace in…
Pasty and present
For two science brains, Gwynne Stump and her husband Kurt have a major flare for interior decorating. “Kurt designed all of that and built it from the ground up,” Stump said, pointing to the impressive mantel behind the bar. Every inch of the restaurant reflects the couples’ broad spectrum of talents. A trip to the…
The great congressional piggybank battle
If you need any indication of the importance money will have in the 2012 election, consider that Central Coast incumbent Democrat Lois Capps raised more cash in 2011 than she did over the entire 2007-08 election cycle. In the race for the 23rd District, Capps so far has the most financial fuel in her campaign,…
Jeweler parries fencing allegations
In cop lingo, a fence is a dubious character that accepts stolen property for resale and conceals the property’s ill-gotten origins. But it was the jury that was on the fence following a two-week trial for a well-known San Luis Obispo jeweler accused by prosecutors of knowingly accepting stolen property from a pair of since-convicted…
SmartMeter opt-out plan finalized
On Feb. 1, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) finalized terms to modify PG&E’s SmartMeter Program to provide an opt-out option, but it will cost you. Under the plan, customers can opt out for a one-time fee of $75 and a monthly charge of $10. Customers enrolled in the CPUC’s low-income program who opt-out will…
Gilmore’s out, Cooney’s in … again
Dan Gilmore has officially resigned from the Los Osos Community Services District. The district’s Board of Directors accepted Gilmore’s resignation at its Jan. 31 meeting, according to a district press release. Francis “Mitch” Cooney has been selected to fill the job on an interim basis. The district officially appointed Cooney as its interim general manager…
IWMA sued over bag ban
San Luis Obispo County’s Integrated Waste Management Authority has officially received its second lawsuit since it came into existence. On Jan. 30, San Francisco attorney Stephen Joseph filed a lawsuit on behalf of his group Save the Plastic Bag Coalition against the IWMA over its recently adopted ban on single-use plastic bags. By a slim…
Paso PD faces criticism, praise, and a lawsuit
Attendance at the Paso Robles City Council meeting on Feb. 7 was standing room only. Three uniformed officers stood in the shadows outside the building, while Police Chief Lisa Solomon sat inside, front and center before the crowd and council. After allegations surfaced that Solomon was accused of misconduct and sexual harassment, it seemed she…
Cuesta accreditation on the line
As Cuesta College officials digest information that their school is facing its last chance to save its accreditation, the message from the school is don’t panic. “I will not let this particular blemish influence the way in which we perceive ourselves or the way the public perceives Cuesta College,” school president Gil Stork told press,…
What’s the best place to break-up with someone?
Chris Cook reader of fine literature “Definitely not the beach. That’s an awkward ride home. I would do it somewhere like a coffee shop or anywhere downtown and really public. Somewhere they can’t make a scene and where you can get away on foot really easy.” Boyd Gelhaus retired “Deep in the forest where no…
