Cover Story
How to go crazy in 20 days
When writer-turned-director Jonathan Sobol looks back on the approximately three weeks in which he shot his ambitious Canadian dark comedy A Beginner’s Guide to Endings, he wonders what on earth he was thinking. Three narratives going at once? A suicide attempt in the opening scene? A stellar cast (Harvey Keitel, Scott Caan, Tricia Helfer, J.K.…
If you were a pastry, what would be?
Kendra Rowley transportation planning intern “A honey-dipped doughnut, because I think it would be fun to take a bath in hot honey.” p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Doug Carter coffee roasting consultant “A cinnamon roll, because it’s a combination of love,…
Mining for gold
Fans of female singer-songwriters and fans of gritty Americana roots music both have something to smile about this week, because Jade Jackson is releasing Vintage Heart and The Ragged Jubilee is releasing American Moan. Jade Jackson, who hails from tiny Santa Margarita, is ridiculously gorgeous, almost too beautiful to take seriously, but dismissing her talent…
Art After Dark
Anam-Cre’ Pottery Studio Student and instructor pottery sale. 570 Higuera St., suite 140 (SLO Creamery); 544-1850; anamcre.com. Art Central “Meet the Artists of Art Central,” an all-members show; March 1-30; 1329 Monterey St.; 788-0887. ARTS Space Obispo Walk on the Wild Side: Show show, Arti Gras preview show of multifarious shoe-themed art. 570 Higuera St.,…
RN Estate 2008 Cuvée de Trois Cépages
A classic Bordeaux blend, this young, bold wine offers aromas and flavors of plums, blackberries, cassis, and spices weaved with a tangy cherry note. Although it’s drinkable now, its firm tannins indicate great aging potential. It’s a cuvée of 67 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 17 percent Cabernet Franc, and 16 percent Merlot. Winemaker Roger Nicolas picks…
Beckmen 2009 Rosé of Grenache Purisima Mountain Vineyard
This lovely, dry pink wine is bright and effusive in its layers of flavors. A blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, and Syrah, this cranberry-hued Rosé has a range of red and dark fruit flavors of strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, and cranberry, highlighted with subtle notes of spice and minerals. Vintner Stephen Beckmen designates special blocks in his…
Santa Maria’s leading lady, Jane Russell, dies
Jane Russell—the Hollywood siren who dazzled for decades on the silver screen, and the devoted mother and adoption advocate—died on Feb. 28 at her home in Santa Maria. She was 89. The buxom brunette first entered the public spotlight in the 1940s when she landed the role of Rio MacDonald in Howard Hughes’ controversial movie…
The Paso pipe dream
If residents don’t cough up more money to pay Paso Robles’ $13 million-per-year share of the Nacimiento Water Project, the city will be facing bankruptcy by 2014. At least, that’s what city officials fear, and with a water-rate-increase proposal going out to consumers again, those officials might want to keep their fingers crossed. The city…
Clubs
Goin’ South … COFFEE BEAN AND TEA LEAF: 750 Five Cities Drive, Pismo Beach, 773-6420. Music every Sat., 6:30-8:30pm. ELMO’S NIPOMO SALOON: 131 South Thompson Road, Nipomo, 929-5362. Karaoke on Thurs. and Fri. at 8pm. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: 750 Mattie Road, Pismo Beach, 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music every Fri.-Sat., 6-9pm. Tennessee Jimmy Harrell, Doc Stoltey. GATHER WINE…
Something to jaw about
Peering out over his panoramic view of the Seven Sisters, leather artisan Jon Wilson spends his days dyeing and sewing leather goods from his porch. No, he doesn’t live on a farm, and yes, this is the year 2011. As a man born in the ’80s, however, he dreams of an age he never saw,…
Get ready for the fall
Gov. Jerry Brown has Kevin Johnson worried. “I voted for the man, and he’s looking rough,” Johnson said on a wet February morning as he brought his mother to the County Public Health Services building on Johnson Avenue in San Luis Obispo. “He looks like he’s going to cut and cut. I worry about what…
The United States must help bring peace to Israel
We must protect Israel now more so than ever before. The Jewish people deserve the same freedoms that we do. The Obama administration must ensure that any new Egyptian government honors its peace treaty with Israel and continues its efforts to stop the smuggling of weapons into Gaza. The United States must continue to work…
Shut down gas-powered leaf blowers
Dear San Luis Obispo City Council, A single gas-powered leaf blower can emit as much pollution in one year as 80 cars. They are noisy. Waste gas. Unhealthy for people, pets, and plants. Worsen allergies and asthma and irritate the lungs. Because they operate at such high velocities, leaf blowers stir up the mold, allergens,…
How is this a wildlife sanctuary?
In December, I was sailing in Morro Bay, enjoying a peaceful morning observing some brandt geese. Shots rang out, and I witnessed two of these majestic birds flying into an ambush. One of the brandts was winged and thrashed helplessly until a dog retrieved it and brought it back to the hunter who killed it…
Where there’s smoke, there’s San Luis Obispo
Surely I didn’t read that “the healthy, smoke-free air” is one of the principal reasons why San Luis Obispo is “the happiest place on earth?” Or that this Oprah-sanctioned, media-supported hyperbole has been extended to the “nearby communities,” so that even Los Osos or Cayucos or even Cambria can claim associative happiness thanks to their…
Why is Oprah so anti-grizzly?
There are many mammals living somewhat harmoniously with the recent population growth in San Luis Obispo County, such as the deer, weasel, fox, bobcat, and mountain lion. This is not to mention the many beautiful raptors and other birds, such as the turkey and scrub jay. But where are the grizzly bears, also known as…
And now for the solutions …
Tom Watson does an outstanding job in his commentary (“The president’s budget is irresponsible,” Feb. 24) describing our nation’s lamentable fiscal deficit and the president’s inadequate actions to correct it. I wish Mr. Watson would write another commentary of similar length, outlining specifically what he would do to balance our national budget within, say, four…
Good job picking Capps over Watson
Regarding “The president’s budget is irresponsible” (Feb. 24) by Tom Watson, the gent the Republicans ran against Lois Capps in 2010: Notice that Mr. Watson has nothing to say about the “responsibility” of the Republicans’ budget, which also doesn’t do what he complains the president’s budget doesn’t do. Like a little boy hopping up and…
People who delayed the sewer drove up the cost
I find it interesting that in your article about the Los Osos sewer (“Royal flush,” Feb. 24), many of the people you featured as the poor people who will not be able to stay in their homes because of the high cost are the same people who have contributed to the delays and increasing cost…
Union threatens to sue SLO
The San Luis Obispo City Firefighters Association is threatening to sue San Luis Obispo if the city puts binding arbitration and pension reform measures on the ballot. Stuart D. Adams, the lawyer for the firefighters sent a letter to the city claiming it violated meet-and-confer rules. “There has been no meet and confer with the…
Los Osos sewer-stoppers got to you
I can’t say your article is full of crap (“Royal flush,” Feb. 24), but your slant is assuredly toward that direction. Your choice of words, your mentioning things like bankruptcy without describing how that came about (not because of the project but because of the actions of anti-project individuals), the causes of the delays, your…
Price Canyon project shrinks
The Pismo Beach City Council voted March 1 to exclude a 530-acre section of the land slated for the Price Canyon project in an effort to secure county approval to expand the city’s reach into the canyon. The Spanish Springs North Ranch land was excluded from a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)—a document outlining future…
Death penalty sought against suspected Myers killers
Prosecutors announced they will seek the death penalty for at least one of five defendants in the Dystiny Myers kidnapping and murder trial, and said they are still deciding whether to do the same for another. At a preliminary hearing for the defendants on Feb. 24, Deputy District Attorney Timothy Covello told Superior Court Judge…
Funding found for south county Cuesta facility
Cuesta College officials plan to report to the college’s Board of Trustees they will likely reach their funding goal and move one step closer to opening a South County facility in Grover Beach. According to Barbara George, executive director for the Cuesta College Foundation Campaign Committee, school officials will meet with the Board of Trustees…
Heather Lane
NEW TIMES When did you start this 101 course on wine? LANE We host these classes every Monday night, and we started in January of this year, and we will be teaching them until the end of June. This is the first year, and we’ve had a great turnout, so we’ll be planning to teach…
Reporting snafu loses SLO transit money
San Luis Obispo may have lost federal funds due to a reporting mistake. During a mid-year budget review at the March 1 SLO City Council meeting, staffers reported the city is bracing itself for a $450,000 shortfall in the transit fund for the 2010-11 fiscal year. Interim Director of Finance and Information Technology Mary Bradley…
Maldonado eyes a congressional seat
Former Santa Maria mayor and California Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado appears ready for the next step in his political career, forming a campaign committee to make a congressional run in 2012. The Federal Elections Commission on Feb. 18 confirmed Maldonado filed the necessary paperwork to open an exploratory committee, which can begin collecting campaign funds.…
SunPower approved
After weeks of testimony and so much scrutiny that county officials were debating paint colors on transformer boxes, the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission finally approved SunPower’s California Valley Solar Ranch on Feb. 24. Unless there’s an appeal of the project—which there undoubtedly will be—SunPower now has approval to build its 250 megawatt photovoltaic…
Highway upgrades highlight transportation needs
Caltrans has lately received questions regarding a recently completed project in South San Luis Obispo County. Moreover, motorists throughout the county are experiencing more frequent, and often unpredictable, delays along the U.S. 101 corridor. I want to highlight an underlying and growing need facing the Central Coast. Specifically, I’ve been asked why the climbing lane…
No–just, no
Sometimes people pull off feats that lead you to wonder: Are they that oblivious? Or just plain dumb? On April 30, members of the Santa Barbara County chapter of the Coalition of Labor, Agriculture & Business (COLAB) will file into the Chumash Casino Resort for their 20th anniversary fundraiser where they’ll scarf on $115-a-plate dinners,…
Box = tops!
It’s Friday, Feb. 25, and it’s sort of raining, but I’ve got a couple Pabst Blue Ribbon beers in my pocket and I’ve just arrived at Box City, an event organized by New Times Managing Editor Ashley Schwellenbach. Tucked away on a dead-end street in an industrial park, there’s a carnival atmosphere at Box City.…
The best of the fest
In my first year as a Film Festival juror, I was charged with evaluating around 40 short films. Most of them were pretty good. A few—Kavi, The Line, The Response, The Interview—absolutely blew me away, redefining my concept of what can be communicated in just a few minutes. I abused the optional comments section to…
The voice of one crying in the desert
Somewhere in the expanse of inhospitable Nevada desert—between the cracked dirt and the unrelenting sun—a metropolis of artists, idealists, and anarchists blooms for one week out of the year, like a rare desert flower. It’s a city where art is central, radical self-expression is encouraged—especially if it involves pyrotechnics—money serves little purpose, and participation is…
A salute to Chef Chris Kobayashi
I started cooking professionally three decades ago when the preeminent chef James Beard (May 5, 1903–Jan. 21, 1985) inspired my decision to become a chef. Beard’s practical cookbooks made it easier for an aspiring chef to learn the intricacies of gourmet cooking. That’s why I’m proud to announce the nomination of a favorite Paso Robles…
