A Vote For David Foster

[We'll print the emails we get until the avalanche is so great we'll have to make the frequent writers into bloggers!]

Dear Editor,

I’ve had very few memorable teachers in my academic career and even fewer who were memorable for being good.

I am writing you today because my favorite teacher of all time, David Foster, is running for school board. As a past student of his, I remember what David’s personality and devotion to teaching meant to me. Attending Arroyo Grande High School is not a pleasant experience to recollect.

The physical school itself was a total dump; it was overcrowded, and I hated going there. So much of what I was forced to learn was boring and presented in the same manner. During second period of the first semester of my senior year I would finally escape high school hell, even if just for 50 minutes a day, in David Foster’s Bible Literature class.

He taught in a way that was engaging, interactive and, most of all, fun. He intertwined history, literature and anthropology to paint vivid pictures of some of the greatest stories ever written. He was there everyday with more energy and passion than any teacher I’ve ever had. I knew he truly cared about what his students learned, and I only wish there were more teachers like him.

Since I graduated in 2000, David has become a very close family friend. I’ve come to understand his deep commitment to education, teachers and above all, the students. His experience in and out of the classroom makes him the perfect candidate for guiding Lucia Mar Unified School District in a positive direction.

Please honor a great educator and community leader and vote David Foster for school board.

sincerely,

Cameron Taylor Edmondson

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Farces Of Evil Trash The Naked Truth

When I read the email post Monday afternoon from publisher Bob Banner, I just had to click and read what the heck the brou-ha-ha was about. Censorship! Here in River City!

Seems the SLO Library director wanted to "protect" children from the latest cover and sex-themed issue of Bob's HopeDance magazine. Brian Reynolds ordered the county’s 15 branches to "recycle it."

By that time I was ready to hear Bob's interview that afternoon with Dave Congalton on 920 KVEC. (Here's how Dave previewed the interview on his station blog.)

Surely a city's chief librarian should be able to withstand the farces of evil and resist book/magazine trashing. "Protecting children" is a good reason, but doesn't hold water when you understand The Tribune printed the magazine's art on its own front page coverage of the story. There are many art and photo books in the library stacks that are much more "graphic" than the cover of this HopeDance.

Or is it about HopeDance's thoughtful, adult goal to inform the public with "radical solutions inspiring hope?" Are there really people here in River City against the idea of...hope?

Side note: Nationally for decades, Utne Magazine digests thousands of news items from a variety of sources. Their feature called "From the Stacks," highlights "the independent and alternative media," throwing the spotlight on:

HopeDance - In an attempt to confront, and seemingly disestablish, the "very limited monoculturalist view of sex" that's brewing in the United States, the July/August edition of HopeDance throws the doors of sexuality wide open. No subject is too risqué for these pages: sacred prostitutes, a farmer's land buzzing with reproductive frenzy, a woman who's had enough with public masturbators. Also included are editorials on pornography, later-in-life intimacy, and much more. By and large, pieces avoid mining for shock value, focusing instead on presenting information and stories frankly, showcasing examples of how they'd like to see sexual discussion evolve.

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Write Locally, Read Globally

Ever wonder who else has been looking at a blog page? This blog page in particular in the last 24 hours?

Our site stats tracker has some useful info about our reader's locations.

Sure, we have our Central Coast fans by the palm trees in Morro Bay, Arroyo Grande and Buellton. Elsewhere in California, people are logging in from Bakersfield, Venice (next to Santa Monica) and Trabuco Canyon in Orange County.

Across the USA visitors check in from Charlotte, North Carolina and Spring Hill, Tennessee or Florida. Can't tell which city has clicked in; the power of the almighty computer stops right there.

Our modest lil' ole site has been spanning the globe! Viewers have come to us from Burnaby, Canada; Belgium; Paris, France; Al Musrarah, Israel; and in Monterrey, Mexico.

Welcome one and all and please tell a friend to read our blog--or leave a comment. It is a two-way street when it's a blog!

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It's New And Improved!

Truth seekers and readers looking for local flavor, Newsstand Greg is back from the blogless sabbatical!

Needed some time off to consider what my priorities need to be. And whether I have anything to say. Heh, heh. Yes, I do.

Plus, my next birthday looms. The Big 6-oh. 60. I'm in presidential company, both George W. and Bill Clinton are getting used to being 60 years of age this year. In fact, the Census Bureau estimates that 7918 people will turn 60 each day in 2006.

In Santa Barbara county, there are 64,921 of us over 60; the majority, 36 percent, live in Santa Barbara. The second largest population of 60+ live in Santa Maria. All the numbers come from reliable 2000 U.S. Census Bureau data. Have a happy "Boomer" birthday!

Blogwise: You'll notice we have consolidated the North SLO blog page into the primarily SLO-oriented CCNewsMission home page. We have kept the most active writer's blog pages and hope to give you a fresh item here nearly every day. Wish me luck. As an added incentive to visit again soon, there will be no lengthy, fund-raising "pledge break" paragraphs. Not that there's anything wrong with one.

Perhaps getting older is good for me. --Newsstand Greg

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