Plus Letters to the Good Times Editor...
Breaking Down Barriers
Locals Only

I think it’s always good to know exactly where your compass is pointing. I’m talking about that internal compass, the one that we have to rely on to give us a clue on what direction we’re headed—or supposed to be headed. For that, I say it never hurts to ask youself if the actions you are taking match where you think that compass ought to be pointing. On a simpler note, and perhaps less “Californian” in nature, there’s always the trusty weather vane, which tops our list of inventive items to include in your fall Home and Garden check list. (You do have one, right?)

I wanted to be the first to write about the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake, but then I read these words from Dan Gillmor, former tech guru at the San Jose Mercury News and the author of “We the People,” a call-to-arms for citizen journalism.

Writing in his blog, Mediactive, Gillmor talks of 11 things he would do if he ran a news organization (No. 11 is: no more Top 10 lists.)

No. 1: “We would not run anniversary stories and commentary except in the rarest of circumstances. They are a refuge for lazy and unimaginative journalists.”

It is important to understand, historically and through observance, the practices of humanity’s primary religions because the new Aquarian religion and spirituality are being built upon their foundations. When we are aware of different religious practices, we can incorporate their inner qualities into our lives. In this way, humanity becomes unified, which is the Aquarian task. We are in the midst of the Jewish High Holy Days, begun at Rosh Hashanah (Friday, Sept. 18) and ending at Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) on Monday, Sept. 28), when G-d closes the Book of Life. During these 10 days we ask forgiveness from G-d and from each other. Yom Kippur is the most solemn day of the Jewish year.

Plus Letters to the Good Times Editor...
New Sea Change Needed
For the Birds
Goes Down Well?

I remember my school lunches. For a long while, my mother used to hand me a paper bag and off to school I went. During lunch, I unwrapped either a ham and cheese sandwich with mayo on Wonder Bread, or, better yet, one of those peanut butter and jelly mixes—Goobers, from Smucker’s. I’d nosh away, always craving more. During junior high, I’d forgo the paper bag lunches completely, opting for the cafeteria food, which, at the time, sadly, felt like a treat. Mac ‘n’ cheese on Wednesdays, hot dogs on Mondays and always pizza on Fridays.

Caffeine. It's the only thing that gets me out of bed in the morning.
Jen Wren
Watsonville | Farmer