In Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Dec. 15, Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel) introduced legislation that would greatly increase the amount of fruits and vegetables in our country's cafeterias. The legislation, the Children's Fruit and Vegetable Act (H.R. 4333), includes provisions to increase USDA spending on fruits, vegetables, and overall cafeteria infrastructure by more than $100 million over the next few years to promote health and combat childhood obesity. The proposed legislation also has a focus on promoting local foods via a farm-to-cafeteria program ($10 million/year for two years) which could simultaneously increase health and stimulate local economies. "The federal government talks about the food pyramid and healthy eating, then spends billions on unhealthy food," said Congressman Farr after introducing the bill. "It's time we put our money where our mouth is and address the poor quality of food in our schools."

Christmas time is here again and for anyone faced with the daunting task of figuring out that perfect gift for their comic reading loved one, I've put together a small list of some of this year's hottest items. From DVD gift sets to the most recent video game releases, there are plenty of ways for comic nerds to get their superhero fix.

SANTA CRUZ - Twenty-four-year-old Eric Ressler, with a little help from his folks, has just launched a new online service that will benefit his fellow Santa Cruz residents, local businesses, and the environment: the site is ecocoupons.org, and it’s all about paperless coupons. Instead of receiving piles of coupons in the mail (and constantly throwing them away) ecocoupons.org allows its visitors to select what coupons they want, when they want them, and then download them to their phone or another mobile device. The project is endorsed by the Downtown Association and has more than 30 local businesses participating so far.

As of Thursday, Dec. 10, vaccinations for H1N1 have been available in Santa Cruz County to the public beyond target groups, or those at highest risk from the disease, due to improved availability and the belief that many in the target groups have already been vaccinated. 56,290 doses of the vaccine have arrived in Santa Cruz County as of Dec. 7, an additional 12,000 on top of what was expected.  Public Health has administered over 9,000 vaccinations to those in target groups and has held four walk-in clinics. "We are committed to provide this vaccine as soon as possible to those who want it," says Health Officer Dr. Poki Namkung. For more information visit Santa Cruz Health Center, 1080 Emeline Ave. or call (831) 454-4574.

The intensity of Michael McEvoy.

In response to the budget crunch at the University of California, UC President Mark G. Yudof and the 10 campus chancellors believe they have developed a solution—or at least a start.
The UC Office of the President (UCOP) is calling it “Project You Can.” On Oct. 23, President Yudof announced the plan, which should expand money for student scholarships. He hopes to raise $1 billion in private funding over the next four years, more than double the amount they have raised over the past five.

But is it possible?

Sacred Craft Expo may tap Santa Cruz as the next surfboard hub

Nothing is quite as thrilling in a surfer’s life as that first blush of romance with a new board. Within those mysterious curves lie the potential to escape the self-consciousness of the daily grind, to fly free, to walk on water. Coaxing performance out of the template, rocker, foils, rails and tails is the job of the shaper, and translating those raw elements into a final three-dimensional shape is part science, part art and more than a little alchemy. Shapers are the high priests of this addictive union of man and nature; masters of a craft—a sacred craft.

For the past few years, director Scott Bass has paid tribute to boards and their foam messiahs by organizing the Sacred Craft Expo, housing a transcendent display of board-building genius under one roof for thousands to enjoy twice a year—Ventura in the spring and Del Mar in the fall. The most recent festival of foam in Del Mar honored Dick Brewer, the principle driver behind the shortboard revolution and mentor to multiple world-class shapers in their own right. Given a voice, who might Santa Cruz nominate as their local shaping master?

A large humpback whale bone surfaces on Santa Cruz County beach

You never know what you will find in the sand at the beach--just ask Santa Cruz resident Jay Chartrand. On Nov. 30, Chartrand took a visiting Canadian friend on a stroll along the shoreline of Greyhound Beach, seven miles north of Davenport. The pair were scouring the sand for sea shells when they came across the top of something large and mysterious. “I said ‘Is that a pipe? No, it’s a whale bone!” she says. “We were looking for shells and stuff, and we found this huge bone.” She and her Canadian friend (quite the welcome to California, eh?) began digging around the whale bone, soon realizing just how large it was. They estimated it to be over 10 feet long. After snapping some pictures, they backed away from the bone and its far-reaching stench and called the authorities, who said the bone was the remnants of a humpback whale that washed ashore in 1993. Thanks to Jay for sending in these photos and sharing her story.

In desperate attempts to avoid coming down with the formidable H1N1 flu this winter, folks are slopping on hand sanitizer and avoiding anyone with the sniffles. To keep it from spreading like wildfire throughout their campus, Dominican Hospital has announced they will be screening “all who enter its facilities” for H1N1 starting this week, according to Communications and Marketing Director Mike Lee. In addition, they will be restricting visitors to 16 years of age and up (no germy kiddos allowed) and restricting access to two entry points.