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From the Editor

Wednesday, 14 April 2010 14:26 Greg Archer Columns - Editors Note
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greg_archerS2sPlus Letters to Good Times...
Helping the Homeless
A Wake-up Call?
And we all thought cows were so cute. Well, they are, but after reading this week’s cover story, penned by News Editor Elizabeth Limbach, you might look at that grass-hungry animal in a different way. The article addresses, among many other things, an issue often overlooked in environmental talks—that raising animals for mass food consumption is actually not good for the environment at all. There are water issues, of course, and how much greenhouse gas emissions are produced by animals raised for food. And then ... there’s a lot of crap. Livestock in the U.S. generates 130 times the amount of excrement of the human population—talk about lethal gas. There’s more, of course, so dive in on page 16. In the meantime, all this mindbending information about the environment comes at just the right time—Earth Day is April 22.

Here in Santa Cruz, it’s celebrated on April 17  from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the San Lorenzo Park. Expect a vast array of vendors and some great information about what you can do for the environment. Learn more about that at ecocruz.org.

In other news, there’s a local seventh grader who’s capturing attention after tracking the lineage of U.S. presidents. Take note of what she discovered.

Now that those April showers seem to have finally ended, it’s time to enjoy some time outdoors. Something that came across our radar: The Sixth Annual Day in the Sky. This enterprising event helps hundreds of local kids with disabilities. Learn more on our Events page.

There’s plenty more to experience on the following pages, so dive in. And thanks for reading. More next time ...

Greg Archer | Editor-in-Chief

Letters to Good Times Editor
Helping the Homeless
Regarding GT’s article about the daylong event to help the homeless around here, I was curious and so I checked it out. I think more events like this should happen in this area, especially since there is a high number of homeless here. The event was co-sponsored by the United Way of Santa Cruz County and the Census Bureau. They really created a good turn out by gathering a bunch of local charities. Those charities really showed their colors by providing some services for the homeless. Of course, they encouraged them to fill out the census. What I also found interesting was that the participants were allowed free services, things like medical care and housing assistance. Some even had vet care for their pets.Way to go.
Helen Anderson
Santa Cruz

A Wake-up Call?
In response to a recent letter, what is Irsael saying to the world with its recent West Bank residency regulations? Thousands of Palestinians will face criminalization just for living there.
In the case of the old Yugoslavia the U.S. sent bombs in an attempt to stop  ethnic cleansing moves.
Is Israel testing the limits of  present American reaction to ethnic cleansing as illustrated by Israel's violation of international laws as to occupied territories and its reneging on the UN 1948 designation of Jerusalem as an international city?
Is Israel testing Europe as to its tolerance for further human rights infringements or is she purposely trying to provoke violent reactions on the Palestinian part in light of increased global boycotting of Israeli products and investments?
Are we in America going to ignore the warnings from our own generals that U.S.security is severely threatened by our present continuing financial aid to, and passive condoning of, Israel's outrageous inhumane endeavors to destroy a people's homeland and cultural well-being?
Those of us who cherish a secure future for ourselves and others must prod our elected reps from White House to Congress to establish the necessary prequisite for a peaceful Mid East by ensuring justice for Palestinians now.
Joyce McLean
Los Gatos

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