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From the Editor

Wednesday, 06 October 2010 15:01 Greg Archer Columns - Editors Note
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greg_archerS2sPlus Letters to Good Times
All Wet?
The Climate Plan
It’s Week two for Open Studios so get out there and savor some of that great eye candy. This week, we do just that in our cover story, where several writers explore significant new works and one exhibit that is sure to standout—the “Visibly Invisible” exhibit at Cabrillo Gallery. The show explores transgender themes, among other issues, and features photography, paintings and other inviting pieces. Curated by Cabrillo’s Tobin Keller, it’s a feast for the eyes if not thought-provoking. Learn more about the artists, as well as other noteworthy works featured in this weekend’s Open Studios. Congratulations to all.

In the meantime, take note of News this week, where one intrepid writer reports on a spiritual tent revival that may also turn heads. How that came to be may capture your interest. There’s some more news on the Green Ways To School program, too.

Election season is here, of course, and who better than columnist Sven Davis to offer a great spin on all of that. In this week’s column, Davis recounts an experience from a past election and wonders whether voting can ever really be easy. Thoughts?

Over in A&E, you’ll be interested to know more about UC Santa Cruz Grateful Dead archivist Nicholas Meriwether, who has a lot going on—literally. What goes on behind closed doors in the archive? You’d be amazed. But probed further, Meriwether comes across as a great steward of the collection. “In a hundred years I hope that this archive is able to give a future archeologist the stories of personal transformation that came out of the Dead scene,” he notes. Learn more on here.

What else? Well, it’s fall and the time is ripe for reflection. How has the year been treating you? And, more importantly, how have you treated it? Ponder it all and get back to me.

Thanks for reading. More soon ...

Greg Archer | Editor-in-Chief

Letters to Good Times Editor
All Wet?
Tom Honig is once again unable to escape from his own illogical, narrow
thinking.  In last week’s column, he says, "The argument against [UCSC] growth is that there's not enough water to allow more students."  He then carries on without mentioning the word "water" again once. In other words, he fails to confront the water issue.  It's sounds nice to urge "good environmental policies in planning" when saying "some development is necessary." But how can our city grow and develop without increasing the water supply which would be needed for the additional population that such growth would
bring? 
The answer is we can't.  Thus, it seems clear that growth is the real motive for the city's proposed desalination plant.  If the city would expand intelligently upon last year's successful water conservation
measures, there would be enough water for the existing population with no need for an exorbitantly expensive, ocean-polluting, greenhouse gas-emitting desalination plant.  But without that new source of water, growth is no longer feasible in Santa Cruz.  We have long ago reached our limits.
Jeff Alford
Santa Cruz

The Climate Plan
Regarding your environment coverage, our Climate Plan is short natural science and this a university town. Our plan has mercury from “low energy” reject light bulbs finding its way to the Bay, low flush toilets that pollute groundwater, septic tanks, and plumbing, with a build up of human and other waste. And we burn potential topsoil (biofuel) to power trips to 7-Eleven and Costco while reducing bus service.
Monsanto couldn’t make it more cynically serious than our failure to mention “tree planting and taller brush” as nature’s own way of lovingly accommodating people (absorbing our exhaust) and other living things and providing tax incentives for property with healthy trees.
I don’t see oxygen emanating from city councilmembers, but under their watch we lost 37 trees, including some stately redwoods. Lately, they have been chopping down trees in a bizarre attempt to cure alcoholism, and chase junkies to seek shade elsewhere. Reducing CO2 exhaust is just part of the problem. Who’s on call to bring buses downtown for flood evacuation. Vegetarian education, or meatless Mondays and Fridays at elementary schools—an ultimate plug-in.
Simply adding groundcover, instead of pay to rake, will allow more trees to survive and absorb CO2 into living soil systems.  Finally, all welcome the new Oak Trees for Evergreen Cemetary, Oct 12 (10 a.m.). Way to go climate team.
Billy Quealy
Santa Cruz
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