Creepy stores, kind encouragement, phone obsession and Prop. 8.
Nothing Sacred
Re: “What the Hex” (Briefs, July 3): I have nothing against occult shops, mystical products, pagans, Wiccans, skulls, dragons, pentagrams and Aleister Crowley books. However, when I read about the claims of prejudice against Mr. Mariolo, the owner of the Cathcart Street property, for rejecting Sacred Grove's desire to move to his location, I felt like speaking up. I wouldn’t want that business to move in either, and here is why: the shop has a dingy, dark, unkempt look. The decor is, well, more like the sloppily decorated dorm room of a Death Metal fan than a respectable occult supply store. I have browsed a number of occult shops through the years and am currently marketing books to pagan stores across the country. The overwhelming majority are attractive, professionally run, have friendly staff, emphasize positivity and care about their appearance. There is nothing attractive visually about Sacred Grove. The general atmosphere is unpleasant with a reliance on creepy iconography. That alone is a good enough reason to reject their application. And the property owner has every right to use that reason. That is not “religious bias,” but just common sense and sound business judgment. Birch needs to take a good sober look into his “magic mirror” before pointing fingers and making false accusations of bias. An unattractive business that emphasizes “dark forces” is an undesirable one in anyone’s book.
Name Withheld By Request
Santa Cruz
Oh, Stop!
OK, Don’t
I just picked up a copy of SC Weekly and wanted to commend the art department staff for a great looking publication. I am an award-winning magazine designer who has been designing publications for 20 years. I don't know when you redesigned (I don't often look at the SC weeklies) but it is a huge improvement. I found myself reading much more than I ever did before. Please know I will be turning to you guys before your competition. As someone in your business, I know what it takes and wanted to acknowledge your good work. Keep it up.
Cathy Krizik
Santa Cruz
Look Here
Kudos to Tim Rudolph for his honest reminder of society’s addiction to hand-held pacifiers (Letters, July 10). It's almost like we have substituted cigarettes for something else to put in our nervous hands. Are we so full of our omnipotence with 102 of our closest Facebook friends that we’ve lost sight of our humanity? I miss walking into a coffee shop and having an interesting conversation with a new face, or exchanging a flirty smile.
P.S. Morgan
Ben Lomond
On Prop. 8
How many passionate proponents and opponents of Prop 8 are also concerned about the “separation of church and state” implied in the First Amendment. Marriage, as a religious sacrament, predates the existence of any secular government in the world today. What business does the state have in defining what is a spiritual relationship?
It seems to me that all of that energy was misplaced: it should have been directed toward getting the state out of the marriage business altogether. The only role the state should play is to grant a certificate of “civil union” to any desirous couple, with the same privileges and restrictions of “marriage.” If the couple then wanted to be “married,” they could find a religious institution or individual who would perform the ceremony. This would grant all couples equal “civil rights,” and leave the definition of “marriage” to religion, where it belongs.
Edgar Darwin
Santa Cruz CA
