Category Archives: Coastal Culture

Drepung Gomang Monks Visit Central Coast

Gareth cc monksStory by Gareth Kelly
Photos Courtesy of Anet Carlin

Anet Carlin, herself a Buddhist, received a phone call more than a year ago asking if she would be willing to host a group of monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery in southern India as they spent four weeks touring the Central Coast sharing their culture, their traditions and their sand mandalas. She was delighted to be asked, said yes and today is enjoying their tour and their presence. Continue reading Drepung Gomang Monks Visit Central Coast

Lives well lived

CC 2Story by Gareth Kelly, Photos courtesy of Sky Bergman

What’s that saying? Youth is wasted on the young? Perhaps 100 years ago that was once the case, but as we, as a society, grow older and older we are seeing more and more “old” people living full lives. One such lady is Evelyn Ricciuti a Floridian of Italian heritage who is 102 years young and is the grandmother of local Cal Poly photography and videography professor Sky Bergman. Continue reading Lives well lived

The Wishing Tree

DSC_0002Story and photos by Gareth Kelly

With so much doom, gloom and, what seems at times, evil filling the news these days it can be hard to find those glimpses of what we know makes humanity so special. Unrequited love, hope, compassion and selflessness, to name but a few. However, as bleak as the rest of the world may look, we know here on the Central Coast things are usually different.
Take a walk or a drive around a certain neighborhood that lies beneath the shadow of Bishops peak in San Luis Obispo and look hard enough you will find a beautiful oak tree upon which hang hand written notes or ‘wishes’ from people within the community. This is the wishing tree started on Valentines weekend by husband and wife Jim and Kathy apRoberts.
“Years ago I had read about a lady in San Francisco that had started a wishing tree,” said Kathy apRoberts. At the time I never did anything about it but it stuck with me for years. A few weeks ago myself and Jim discussed the idea, proposed it to a few of our neighbors and their kids and decided to go for it.” Continue reading The Wishing Tree

New Year’s Remedies—By King Harris

king_harris cover bubbleHAPPY NEW YEAR!
Oh, forgive me. I just realized my enthusiastic salutation might be a bit too acute for those of you who may have excessively celebrated the demise of a year that was already not unlike a bad hangover.
So for that I apologize, and will do my best to keep any further bold or capital letters to a minimum throughout the remainder of this article to keep your aching head from pounding any further.   Continue reading New Year’s Remedies—By King Harris

Don’t Worry, Be Happy—By Gretchen Ross, CRTP

Gretchen Ross-1Every year we are forewarned that this will be the worst tax filing year in the history of filing taxes and the media latches onto it and honest taxpayers get into a needless panic.  Yes, it is true that in 1985, the IRS managed to misplace quite a few returns, but with the advent of electronic filing, that is unlikely to reoccur.  IRS  budget cuts are real which means if you need to contact them, the hold times will be longer and you may not get through.  On the plus side, the IRS dot Gov website is better than ever and increasingly user-friendly. Often taxpayers can find the answer to their questions easily and the forms needed to file an accurate return are easily obtained. Continue reading Don’t Worry, Be Happy—By Gretchen Ross, CRTP

Unity Telethon A Cherished Memory—By King Harris

king_harris cover bubbleOf all the events I’ve experienced over the years in my career as a news journalist, none will ever quite compare to that of helping to create and participating in a seasonal event televised by KEYT-TV in Santa Barbara that became known as the “Christmas Unity Telethon.”
Its stage was both inside the studio and outside on the patio of the facility, high up on a mesa referred to as “TV Hill” overlooking the city. With music provided by the talent from local school choirs to popular musicians and singers far and wide, persuaded by those who already lived in the area, it blossomed into an incredible 12-hour community celebration of seasonal spirit and Yuletide cheer, underscored by the cause to contribute to a multitude of less fortunate who otherwise might not experience any kind of Christmas whatsoever. Continue reading Unity Telethon A Cherished Memory—By King Harris

Operation Medicine Cabinet

Increasing trends in medication use, prescribing, and prescription drug abuse are issues we want to consider together as a community. In 2010, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) reported 48% of Americans took at least one prescription drug in the month the study was done. From 2000 to 2010, the percentage of Americans using two or more drugs increased from 25% to 31%, and the use of five or more drugs increased from 6% to 11%.
Patients discontinue medications as often as doctors prescribe them. Many times, patients never tell their doctor they’ve discontinued a medication and they rarely throw away the unused portion. Some patients bring medication samples and half-empty pill bottles to their physician’s office for disposal. However, this may not the safest mode of disposal. These half-taken packs of birth control, half bottles of antibiotics, and the occasional bottle of narcotic go into the office trash. Then, these unwanted medications make their way to dumpsters and landfills.
Disposing of unused medications safely keeps these medications out of our water supply and environment. Safe disposal also prevents accidental ingestion by children and pets, and keeps drugs of abuse from getting into the wrong hands.
The best venue for safe disposal is your local Police Station. “Operation Medicine Cabinet” is a free disposal service for residents of San Luis Obispo County, for unwanted over-the-counter pills, supplements, medication samples, ointments, eye drops, creams, gels, and veterinary medications. Drop-boxes are installed at all local police stations and three Sheriff patrol stations.
Safely dispose of your unwanted medications today!
Please note: All “sharps,” needles, syringes, and thermometers can be safely disposed of at any local pharmacy. For information on disposal of “Hazardous waste”, like batteries and antifreeze, see www.iwma.com.

Send your Health Questions addressed to Dr. Prewitt at Tolosa Press.
No question is too big or too small.
Lauren Prewitt, D.O., F.A.C.O.O.G. is a traditional Osteopath and Board Certified Ob/Gyn. She is an active medical staff member at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center and Marian Regional Medical Center, holds adjunct faculty status at Western University and Touro University, and participates in the Central Coast Osteopathic Regional Society. She resides in Morro Bay.

Fly Through History at Estrella Warbirds—Story by Gareth Kelly

gareth 4Being on the pulse of all things modern and rapidly changing in the world, it’s easy to forget, while living in California, some of the important past that got us here. Without huge developments in aeronautics, engineering and a prosperous automotive industry, the past 60 years would have been very different.

Continue reading Fly Through History at Estrella Warbirds—Story by Gareth Kelly

Silent Success—Story and photos by Gareth Kelly

gareth 4At age 4, Ali Elmasri picked up a basketball and was hooked. At home, at playgrounds, at school and at youth clubs, Elmasri could be found dribbling, shooting and working on his game. As he got older he started hitting the gym to increase his strength. His favorite player was and still is Kobe; he even got to meet the great player while attending a Lakers game as a kid. They had front row seats and after Kobe saw all the kids signing to each other he came over to say hello and have his picture taken. They were all signing because they were all, including Elmasri, born deaf.

Continue reading Silent Success—Story and photos by Gareth Kelly

Mustang Money’s Might Measured, Good to be King—By King Harris

king_harris cover bubbleI know I’ll receive some vitriol from those who do not necessarily see eye-to-eye with the sometimes-disturbing presence of Cal Poly students, but without the university, this community wouldn’t be worth much.
Case in point is a new survey conducted by Bradford Anderson who is the interim vice president of research and economic development at Cal Poly. Continue reading Mustang Money’s Might Measured, Good to be King—By King Harris