February 8, 1966
Every Saturday for two years 15-25 workers, 75 percent volunteers, built new San Luis Obispo Church of Nazarene facility on Johnson Ave. Rev. George O. Cargill set to deliver the first sermon February 13, 1966. The crew included several professional builders as well as 82-year-old Thorwald Hatlin. The church had outgrown the former location at 652 Santa Rosa. The estimated value of the new facility was $300,000 and it took over two years to build. The building featured laminated arch construction, wall-to-wall red carpeting, fixtures of marbleized stone and air conditioning. The last sermon delivered in the old facility was titled “Hitherto Hath the Lord Helped Us.”

A posting on the Tribune’s website says the church will celebrate its 80th Anniversary Sunday April 19, 2009.

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Geek identity, more than any dress code or profession, stems from what you like.

If you’re a “Firefly” fan, you dedicate your life to educating the world about Browncoats, Reavers and the Alliance. If you’re a “Battlestar Galactica” geek, you puzzle over plot twists, gawk at Cylon babes and wait, oh so patiently, for the end of Season Four. The same goes for the faithful who follow “Babylon Five,” “Farscape,” “The 4400,” “Heroes” and “Lost.”

A geek’s true loyalty, however, falls into two camps: “Star Wars” and “Star Trek.”

As far as science fiction classics are concerned, “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” have a lot in common.

Both started out as awesome shows with impressive, if slightly cheesy, special effects, fun plots and compelling characters. Both launched multi-title series that started out strong (”The Empire Strikes Back and “Return of the Jedi,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Deep Space Nine) and finished weak (”The Phantom Menace,” “Enterprise”).

One’s a space opera with foundations in myth, magic and Akira Kurosawa. The other’s an egghead approach to science and space exploration revolving around Star Fleet and the U.S.S. Enterprise.

So which is better?

YouTube poster D.M. Phoenix puts that question to the test with “Star Wars vs. Star Trek,” which pits the crew of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” against Darth Vader and the Empire.

How does Jean-Luc Picard’s impenetrable cool and rich British accent stack up to Darth Vader’s masked menace? Do phaser beams trump the Force?

You’ll have to watch to find out.

***

In related news, Jon Stewart may very well be the biggest geek in the talk news universe.

On a recent episode of “The Daily Show,” he bragged about his Black Friday purchases: a C3-PO Bobblehead and the Lego Millinium Falcon. Way to geek out, Jon!

Thanks to Gizmodo Australia for the heads-up.

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Now that I’m getting older, I often find myself calculating when I will deteriorate physically. In fact, I have an informal aging checklist that tells me how it will go down:

* Wrinkles begin to appear: in 4 years

* Noticeable hair loss: 7 years

* Complain about younger generation’s musical tastes and knowledge of world events: now

I like basketball, but I’m not sure how long my aging body will allow me to play it. Right now, I still have pretty good speed and stamina — and a few pretty good moves, if I must say — but I figure I’ll start slowing down in a couple of years. And then at some point, I’ll injure myself, requiring some sort of knee surgery, thus requiring me to come to terms with my age by retiring from hoops and all other things requiring mobility.

But there’s hope.

In this morning’s Tribune, reporter Nick Wilson relates his basketball challenge against 78-year-old Don Morris. (That’s him above, shooting with his eyes closed.) Granted, Morris isn’t exactly spry enough to play Wilson 1-0n-1 (one of Nick’s favorite tactics on the court is to run around a lot.). But he’s still got game.

As this video I made shows, Morris is a solid free-throw shooter (He recently made 23-of-25 in senior competition), and he can nail the three. He also gets around pretty well for a guy who graduated from college in 1952.

So there you go. If I can stay fit like Morris, I’ll have nearly 40 more years of hoops. Which means 40 more years to fix my shooting form.

Doesn’t look like Morris can help me keep my hair, though. Maybe I’ll be one of those cool old bald guys.

Photo: Dave Middlecamp

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This week’s treats include a winter sports documentary, “Ghost Busters” and “Bad Santa”

Hit the slopes with “Warren Miller’s Children of Winter,” playing tonight at the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo.

Winter sports filmmaker Warren Miller built a reputation over 50 years for annual ski and snowboard movies known for their stunning cinematography, humor and showcases of top talent, including Olympic athletes. Miller has officially retired, but his legacy lives on in the form of Warren Miller Entertainment.

Their latest title, “Children of Winter,” follows world-class athletes as they tackle the snowy mountain peaks of Japan, Austria, British Columbia, Alaska and Iceland. Get ready for a wild ride.

“Warren Miller’s Children of Winter” will be screened at 7 p.m. at the PAC. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for students, and include a lift pass for Sierra Summit Mountain Resort.

Proceeds benefit Youth Outreach for the Performing Arts Center.

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I’m personally looking forward to “Ghostbusters,” which also plays tonight.

When a trio of wisecracking scientists get booted from their paranormal research program, the guys (Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray) go into business for themselves — as the Ghostbusters.

After tackling their first real challenge, a glowing green ghost nicknamed Slimer, the Ghostbusters get a call from Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), a sexy concert cellist who’s just witnessed spooky phenomena in Central Park apartment. Sounds like a normal haunting, right? Wrong.

All hell is literally about to break loose.

“Ghostbusters” earns its “classic” status with a light-hearted, fantasy-tinged plot, terrific chemistry between its leads (who are real-life pals), and hilariously off-beat, endlessly quotable lines. (”Back off, man! I’m a scientist!”) Could there be a better comedy?

Don’t miss “Ghostbusters” tonight at the Fremont theater, 1025 Monterey Street in San Luis Obispo. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. following a half-hour of trivia and prizes.

Tickets are $7.50.

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Christmas gets nasty with “Bad Santa,” Wednesday at The Palm Theatre.

Billy Bob Thornton stars as Willie, a bitter, boozing loser who dons the red and white Santa Claus suit every year to spread holiday cheer. But this is no jolly old elf. Willie and his “Little Helper” Marcus (Tony ) are actually cussing con men with a plan to rob their department store on Christmas Eve.

Will Willie ever learn? Or can a pudgy pre-teen, nicknamed The Kid, and a bartender (Lauren Graham of “Gilmore Girls”) with a soft spot for Santa to teach him the true meaning of Christmas?

“Bad Santa” screens at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Palm Theatre, 817 Palm St. in San Luis Obispo. Tickets are $7.50.

(The Palm Wednesday series returns in January 2009.)

***

Meanwhile, a local celebrity returns home this weekend for that holiday favorite, “The Nutcracker.”

Paso Robles native Jesus “Chuy” Solorio was a Top 20 finalist on the hit Fox reality show “So You Think You Can Dance.”

He’ll dance the role of the Prince in “The Nutcracker,” presented by Class Act Dance of Paso Robles and the North County Dance and Performing Arts Foundation. Solorio appeared as the Cavalier last year alongside fellow finalist Jimmy Arguello.

“The Nutcracker” runs Thursday through Sunday, as well as Dec. 12 and 13, at the Templeton Performing Arts Center, 1200 Main St. in Templeton. Tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for children and seniors.

For more information, call 239-3668 or 835-1915.

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One of the places I would turn back time to see would be the Ramona Hotel.
Four stories tall, the building covered the block between Higuera and Marsh Streets and fronted Essex St. (Now Johnson Ave.) The Hotel had its own railroad spur, a saloon, ballroom and several drawing rooms.
The Hotel opened October 3, 1888 with a grand ball, men wearing swallow tail coats and diamond studs, women in silk and lace. The party wouldn’t last, just over 17 years later the hotel would lie in ashes around a lone chimney.
The Ramona rose in the aftermath of an 1886 fire that devastated downtown. Destroyed were the Andrews Hotel, Bank of San Luis Obispo, the main livery stable and a number of smaller shops. The opening was reported, amid a sea of ads for other hotels, on the lead spot for local news at the time, page 3 of The Tribune. A sign of the importance of the event was the engraving that ran with the article. In this era images with news stories were rare.
Investors included the Southern Pacific Railroad who had high hopes of attracting customers to the sparsely populated west coast. Ironically when the railroad conquered Cuesta Grade in 1894 there was less reason for people to stay here on their travels. Combined with a financial panic and depression the hotel closed the day after Christmas 1894 and did not reopen for 6 months.

Quoting a story by Maggy Stephenson in the Telegram-Tribune May 10, 1947 ,

The Ramona reflected both the architectural indecision of the time, and the veranda-society of pioneer California tourists.
Basically a huge but rather unpretentious clapboard building, eclectic touches were spread on its surface like meringue on a pie.
The steep roof of the Swiss chalet; stringcourses from Italy’s renaissance; half-timber from medieval Nurnberg; chimneys from Tudor England; and little turrets, French or faintly onion-shaped from the Czar’s Russia.

A room cost $2.50 a day and up and included meals. My favorite part, Stephensen said a photograph of the common rooms show entertainment was provided via pianos, banjos, mandolins and guitars.

The dining room was 60 by 80 feet with a 24-foot ceiling and a stuffed mountain lion guarded the lobby. Long before the Madonna Inn, cupids adorned the walls of the Ramona. President William McKinley spoke from the balcony during a whistle stop tour of the west coast.

The era ended November 10, 1905 when an 2 a.m. kitchen fire spread. The night clerk ran from room to room rousing the 250 guests. The building was so far from town that no others were destroyed though several were threatened. By this time custom was to report the big news of the day on the front page. Remarkably the morning paper had a brief the morning of the fire on the front with more details to follow the next day. The Morning Tribune concluded with two boosterish sentences.

There is a golden opportunity for some person, or persons to build at once a big hotel in the business section of the city. San Luis Obispo is growing rapidly and such a hotel would pay well.

Taken on the steps of the Ramona Hotel, Nov. 24, 1896. Swiss envoy minister J. B. Pioda visits San Luis Obispo. Front row from left, starting from the young man in gray suit holding hat, Arthur Baur, A. Tognazzini (standing on second step), J. B. Pioda, A Borel (light trousers), G. A. Berton and Henry Brunner. Second row, starting with the two small boys at left, Louis and Arnold Donati, Pio Taminelli (next to boy in dark suit:, Mr. Antognini, publisher of Swiss newspaper, “El-vezia,” and standing with arms akimbo, Sam Donati (light suit); three unidentified men, one of which has light gray suit and white beard; A. Vignier (bearded with sideburns), A. Monotti and George Cavalli. Third row, starting with man with flag, M. Righetti, Mrs. B. Pezzoni, two unidentified men, one slightly behind the other, B. G. Tognazzini, undentified man standing slightly back and looking of to his left, Peter Tognazzini, G. Fanciola, Dante Muscio, J. B. Bonetti, standing with thumb tucked in pants pocket and loking off to his right, Peter Zanoli, Robert Righetti and a Mr. Palmer. The picture was printed in the Centurama edition of the Telegram-Tribune in 1956. The picture was loaned to the paper by Sam Borradori, who also made the identifications after considerable research.

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So I loaded my board into the car Saturday, then hauled out to the beach, only to find that it was huge out there.

I guess that big swell arrived a little early. Because at A-Beach in Morro Bay it looked to be a good 12- to 15-foot. And, well – that’s a few feet bigger than I’d like it to be.

It was a little smaller at Cayucos Pier, but the waves were punishing. So I watched a few guys get mangled and headed to the Rock, where I overheard a park guy say the Harbor Patrol had to rescue a surfer earlier.

So no surf for me this weekend.

But to get you Stoked, I recently did a surf video of local slider Jaime Hannula. Check it out here.

Hannula is leaving this month for Australia to compete in the ASP tour. Once ranked #9 in North America, she hopes to win at least one big contest as a pro.

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Want to know more about Wes Anderson? Stanley Kubrick? The Coen Brothers?

“The Films of”, a YouTube series created by Barringer82, is the perfect movie primer for novices and experts alike.

Barringer82 — nom de reality Paul Proulx — presents clips of each filmmaker’s most famous flicks in music video format, setting bits of David Fincher’s disturbing, darkly comic movies to The Dust Brothers and Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man.” “Fight Club,” “Se7en,” “Zodiac,” even a split second of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” — they’re all there.

In his homage to Quentin Taratino’s five feature films, Paul pairs the obvious (gunplay and bloodshed) with the subtle (a terrific sequence of bare feet. Just feet). Clever moments like that are a trademark of his films.

Other videos pay paean to Michael Mann, Paul Thomas Anderson, Martin Scorsese, Tim Burton, David Lynch and Kubrick, identified by our host as “the greatest filmmaker of all time.”

Each video features dialog and songs from a myriad of films. In fact, half the fun is linking each clip to its respective masterpiece.

Now that you’ve wet your whistle, try the Cinefiles series, also available on YouTube.

Hosted by former contestants of IFC’s “The Ultimate Film Fanatic,” The Cinefiles review both genres (UK crime dramas, Bond movies) and individual filmmakers (Mel Brooks, Peter Jackson).

They offer insightful, in-depth commentary about movies (sans video clips, unfortunately), much like our very own “Take Two” radio hosts.

***

Thanks to loyal reader I Love A Magician for the tip.

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June 8, 1978
A. David Chan asked about Carol Hallett and by good fortune I had her photo in the “someday soon” stack. Her biography says she was field office representative for Assemblyman, later Congressman, William M. Ketchum. Speak up if you know for sure, my guess is that she was the first woman elected from the area to state assembly.
She later served in President Reagan’s administration as Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. She also headed the Customs Dept. in the George Herbert Walker Bush administration.
When these pictures were made Proposition 13 had just passed attendees at a fund raising luncheon were in a fine mood. About 1,200 people paid $15 each to eat and hear speeches by Carol Hallett and Ronald Reagan.
Quoting Jeanne Huber’s story:

An Atascadero Republican, Mrs. Hallett is seeking election to a second term in the 16th Assembly District.
Thursday’s event turned out to be as much a celebration of the voters decision to limit property taxes through Proposition 13 as it was a campaign rally for Mrs. Hallett, who is considered a shoo-in for re-election by political observers.
***
Reagan got a standing ovation with his response to a question of whether he planned to run for president in 1980: “I haven’t closed the door yet, so stay loose.”

Photos were by Thom Halls

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The best gift of all? A full wallet

Today is Black Friday*.

For most of the nation, the day after Thanksgiving is a chance to hit the mall in search of super-sales, to barge down store aisles stocking carts with the best bargains and sweetest deals. For a smaller segment of the population, however, today is also Buy Nothing Day.

My plan is to buy nothing today.

No gadgets. No toys. Not even a pack of gum.

Not to spite struggling retailers or to skimp on my Christmas list, but to take a stand against the rampant consumerism that has gripped our nation in its vulture-like talons.

That’s not to say that I won’t be getting in a little Christmas shopping this weekend. And I certainly might take advantage of some of those so-called “deals” — without spending more than I planned to, of course.

But the majority of my money will stay where it is. In my wallet.

Recognize our economic crisis. Acknowledge the vicious cycle of credit cards, international profiteering and national debt. Celebrate Buy Nothing Day.

***

If you simply can’t resist the siren song of eager retailers on Saturday and Sunday, there are a few tips that can make your shopping experience more pleasant.

Gizmodo offers “Best of Black Friday Deals” guide for high tech fanatics. Gamers can check out the coolest titles for Wii, XBox 360 and Playstation 3 over at Kotaku.com. And there are bargains aplenty at Amazon.com, BestBuy.com and the last stalwart souls at CircuitCity.com.

If you’re looking to improve your DVD collection, here are a handful of recent released titles that caught my eye:

“A Man Named Pearl”: The inspiring story of self-taught topiary artist Pearl Fryar, this inspiring documentary shows how one man can transform himself and his community.

“Futurama: Bender’s Game”: When “Futurama” — Matt Groening’s hilarious scifi show — kicked the bucket in 2003, fans everywhere breathed a huge sigh of disappointment. Those fans will be happy to hear the direct-to-DVD “Futurama” films (essentially four sequential episodes back-to-back) are just as sharp and funny as the original animated series.

“Hellboy II: The Golden Army”: Awesome special effects, wisecracking humor and fantastic new worlds make for an amazing ride. If you liked “Hellboy,” you’ll love the sequel. If you haven’t seen either, you’re in for a major treat.

“Monty Python’s Holy Trinity”: What could be better than one awesome movie starring the British comedy troupe? How ’bout three?! This collection features the films known by fans as “Holy Grail,” “Life of Brian” and “Meaning of Life.”

“Project Runway: The Complete Fourth Season”: I can’t get enough of this reality show about future fashion superstars and their vicious catfights. My only request: More fashion, less Heidi Klum.

“Sukiyaki Western Django”: Spaghetti westerns and samurai epics collide in Takashi Miike’s interesting, if uneven, paean to “Yojimbo.” Although the cast and setting are Japanese, Quentin Tarantino shows up for entirely no reason.

“Tropic Thunder”: Offensive at some points and laugh-out-loud funny at others, “Tropic Thunder” is a ludicrous comedy with serious bite. Five words: “Robert Downey Jr. in blackface.”

“Wall-E”: You’ll be utterly charmed by this sweet, beautifully animated family film about a lonely robot looking for love and friendship. One of Pixar’s best.

My advice? Buy only what you originally wanted, keep track of receipts and put those credit cards AWAY.

***

* There’s a movie called “Black Friday” — but it’s about the series of bombings that rocked Bombay in 1993, not crazed shoppers hunting for holiday scores. For that, you can watch “Jingle All the Way.”

***

Above image courtesy of Adbusters.org.

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I’m not one to brag on myself, but, hey — it’s Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and I’m working. In fact, you’re probably not even reading this because you’re either shopping or watching Christmas specials on TV.

Me?

Working.

Anyway, if you read yesterday’s blog – and I know you didn’t — you’ll remember that I predicted the score of the uber-lame Tigers-Titans match-up.

My prediction: Titans 48, Tigers 9.

I didn’t watch the game because I knew it’d be terrible. But I was elated to see the final score: Titans 47, Tigers 10.

I was off by two points.

So there you go. Congratulate me if you will. 

You know where to reach me.

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