TV aficionados are all abuzz about the news that Google is about to launch Google TV, redefining the experience of watching television. Soon fans will be able to Tweet about Glee and blog about baseball, live, for the world to see. There are plenty of surprises in store too, or as Google says, “The coolest thing about Google TV is that we don’t even know what the coolest thing about it will be.”
Articles by Danny Wool
Kids Buying Cigarettes With Ease
Kids are finding it much easier to buy tobacco products these days, despite laws that regulate the sale of tobacco to minors. A study conducted in 2008 found that 17 percent of stores that sell tobacco in Santa Cruz County sold to minors without first asking for ID. Just two years later, 27 percent of the 142 stores visited sold tobacco to minors. Of these, 19 stores were in walking distance of a school or afterschool facility.
Santa Cruz Extends Private Security Contract Downtown
Interim Santa Cruz Police Chief Kevin Vogel has announced that the city will extend the mandate of private security firm First Alarm to patrol downtown Santa Cruz through December. The program, which costs $5,000 per month, places three unarmed security guards on the street to tackle minor violations. It is intended to last until the SCPD fills seven vacant positions.
Furor over Tree Pruning in UCSC
There was once a tradition at UCSC that lasted for years and years. At some point in their college careers, students were expected to climb Tree 9, the 105-foot Douglas-fir, whose branches made an easy step ladder to a magnificent view of Monterey Bay. Along the way up, they would leave little notes, or even knit branch warmers for the protruding limbs.
Veterans Drop by SC as They Cycle to LA
More than two hundred cyclists will be crowding the streets of Santa Cruz early this morning as they start the next leg of their ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Take a closer look now. Some of them are missing an arm or a leg. Some are riding special bikes, pedaled by hand, rather than by foot.
Prop 21 to Mainly Benefit County Residents
When voters go to the polls this November, they’ll be voting on Proposition 21, which proposes a new $18 tax/registration fee for most vehicle registrations. About 85 percent of the money , about $1 billion every two years, would go toward funding state parks. This would be especially beneficial to county residents.
Save the Frogs Founder to Speak
Dr. Kerry Krieger may have only moved to Santa Cruz last April, but he’s already had a major impact on the community. He is a man with a mission, and his mission is to save the endangered amphibians of the world, starting with the frogs. Krieger will be speaking tonight at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum on behalf of his group, aptly named Save the Frogs.
UCSC Astronomers Find First Potentially Habitable Planet
Over the past decade, scientists have discovered hundreds of planets around neighboring stars. The problem was that these were mostly gas giants, some even bigger than Jupiter—hardly the kind of planet where you’d want to bring up your kids. All of that has changed however, thanks to a team of astronomers from UCSC and the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Students Take to the Forest
Students from five high schools across Santa Cruz County got to experience the forest firsthand on Tuesday, learn about the sustainable harvesting of wood and inspect the damage caused by the Lockheed Fire last year. The all-day program, called the Santa Cruz Forestry Challenge, was first launched in 2003 to give students a better idea of forest management and stewardship. This year it was sponsored by Big Creek and Redwood Empire. Students visited the Davenport lumber mill and gained an appreciation of the science behind forestry management.
Fluoridation Comes to Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County has long avoided the fluoridation of its tap water. People are wary of adding the chemical to the water they drink and bathe in, even though fluoridation has long been proven to help prevent dental problems. Too many people don’t believe that, though, and suspect that health officials are “lying.”
