The idyllic city of Geneva, Switzerland, is about 5,700 miles from California’s Central Coast, an entire world away. But something in that European town may affect us all in upcoming months: It may cause the end of days. To explain, scientists at the Large Hadron Collider—the world’s largest particle accelerator at CERN, the research organization […]
Opinion
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You just founded a new high school. What’s the mascot, and what are you team colors?
Brad Memberto sports information specialist/journalist “The Bruins, because I’m a huge UCLA fan, but the colors would be blue and gold. Go Bulldogs!” Kim Ensing Allan Hancock College athletic director “The mascot would be a big wave: The Waves. The school colors would be blue and white. I picked the waves because I’m learning to […]
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Poor delivery service aided newspapers’ decline
Arroyo Grande
Daily newspapers have only themselves to blame for their demise. The publishers have missed one of the most important reasons why subscriptions have gone down: deterioration in delivery service. And now with the Internet in almost every household, it is probably too late to change. When we began a home in ’51, the morning and […]
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Be kind to Mother Nature
Ottawa, Canada
When the paved asphalt ends, so does the road. Why do trucks continue into areas where children make sand castles and people happily run their dogs and enjoy a peaceful hike? The Nipomo Dunes are such a unique display of Mother Nature’s genius that the roar of trucks, ATVs, and the RV city really does […]
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Survey the surveyors
Santa Maria
I had two uninvited, and ultimately unwelcome, visitors knock on my door recently. Their stated intentions were to “conduct a survey” about Proposition 8, the upcoming ballot measure that would reverse recent judicial and legislative decisions that open the state of marriage to any couple seeking it. The visitors soon revealed that they were not […]
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Where is the outrage?
Santa Maria
When the Chinese government silenced the voice of dissent during the Olympics, the media and many Americans expressed outrage at their tactics. Now, when producers of the news show Democracy Now, filming a peace march at the Republican National Convention, are manhandled and bloodied by law enforcement coordinated by the FBI, where is the media […]
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Who are you wearing?
Kathryn Leedom outgoing Sun intern “My ensemble consists of sandals from Pacific Sunwear, jeans from Express, a shirt from the Gap, and a sweater from the bottom of my closet.” Troy Ambroff student “I’m wearing Crew jeans. I have no idea where my shirt came from, and I’m wearing Emerica shoes.” Lindsay Flamm cashier “I’m […]
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The government must respect the law
The nation will suffer if violations aren’t prosecuted
When humans first came together to live in agricultural communities, the need developed for rules and laws. It became important for those early leaders, just as today, to set good examples to follow for the rest of the community. Those social rules and laws have become the glue that holds modern civilization and societies together. […]
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Would you rather win a copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire signed by J.K. Rowling or a big-screen television?
Delfino Carreras library page “I would want the big-screen television because I don’t read the Harry Potter books.” Dottie Ott retired “Probably the book, because I could give it to my granddaughter, even though she’s 23.” Aaron Thomas construction worker “The Harry Potter book, because I could sell it on eBay for a lot of […]
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The boy wizard trumps all
To the winner of the autographed Harry Potter book from the library fundraiser: I’ll give it a good home
I have a confession to make. A couple of weeks ago, I told Mark van de Kamp, a management analyst for the city, that the Santa Maria Public Library doesn’t need any more money. A week before that, I said the same thing to Phil Alvarado, the new Santa Maria Bonita School District Superintendent and […]
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What’s your favorite sport to watch in the Summer Olympics?
Jim Perry retired/photographer “Baseball. Anything I can do with my grandson is interesting.” Omar Herrera student “Track, because it’s more of a single-person event.” Sarah Candey mother “Probably the swimming and the gymnastics are the most fun for us to watch.” Mike Doe mystery man “I like them all. I’m interested in all of the […]
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Marching on Washington
Forty-five years ago, the country united under a dream
It was August 1963, and I was a college junior. I had a summer job in New York City, and each day I took the commuter train with my father. On one such trip, I looked at the New York Post and was surprised to learn that college students had gone down south to help […]
