Imagine this! You have a wonderful, wacky, humorous imagination. You make up entertaining stories that cause your parents and siblings to laugh out loud. In school you regale classmates and teachers with your tales. You are known for your out-of-the-box thinking, your clever use of words and your surprise plot twists. You are a writer. You grow up, write stories that become “classics.” Some of them are turned into beloved movies. Your books are loved and you’ve become famous.

Today you’re no longer with us, but if you could speak, what would you say if the publisher of your works decided to change words and phrases in an effort, in a different era, to meet someone else's sensibilities?

Take a moment. I know you grew up with this author's books and have read them to your children. Who could he/she be? Write down all your possibilities.

Here’s the answer. "Readers are up in arms!" What do you think about this? But wait! There's more to the story. The author was known to be anti-semitic and to state his/her opinions publicly. I don't know if this prejudice crept into his/her writing or if it had any bearing on the re-writing (censorship) of parts of the books. You be the judge. I would love to hear your thoughts on this. I'm going to re-read some of these books.

Read on! Parmalee

The statistics are sobering. Nearly 1 in 3 teen girls report having seriously considered suicide in the past year. One in 5 teens identifying as LGBTQ+ say they attempted suicide in that time. Between 2009 and 2019, depression rates doubled for all teens. And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic. The question is: Why now?

"Our brains, our bodies, and our society have been evolving together to shape human development for millennia. ... Within the last 20 years, the advent of portable technology and social media platforms [has been] changing what took 60,000 years to evolve," Mitch Prinstein, the chief science officer at the American Psychological Association (APA), told the Senate Judiciary Committee this week. "We are just beginning to understand how this may impact youth development."

Prinstein's 22-page testimony, along with dozens of useful footnotes, offers some much-needed clarity about the role social media may play in contributing to this teen mental health crisis. For you busy parents, caregivers and educators out there, we've distilled it down to 10 useful takeaways > > >

Curious about the historical and geologic context of the perils we endure to live in paradise?

Join Dr. Gary Griggs, @ucsc.eps professor, on March 2 to learn about natural disasters of Santa Cruz County’s history and considerations about the future.

Gary Griggs has has observed the coast for more than 50 years. His research focuses on coastal processes, hazards, and the impacts of and responses to sea-level rise.

This event is organized by the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History as part of the Extreme Weather event series.

March 2, 6-8pm PST, London Nelson Community Center in downtown Santa Cruz. Suggested admission is $10. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Space is limited, so register today.

The choices by which our children are learning are evolving rapidly.

It's thrilling to see entrepreneurs making waves in the educational field, especially since this path has the potential to open doors for everyone. There's a plethora of high quality online classes, a trend given wings by the pandemic shutdowns. Pods and micro schools are thriving in our county, indeed all over the country.

Even though private schools and public schools with outstanding reputations are the traditional standard, they are not necessarily available to all, owing to lack of geographical proximity or financial reasons. Scholarships and geographical proximity help, but what do you do when those options don't work for you?

Three of these articles discuss the benefits of choosing to homeschool --as a family, in small pods and micro schools. Two of them narrow in on school choice that benefits black students living in under-served areas. A third article discusses what needs to be done to effect true choice, including innovative financing, for all California students.

Santa Cruz County offers many school choices including traditional public and private schools, public schools serving special needs, homeschooling public schools and private homeschooling options. Private school enrollments have increased since the pandemic. Pods and micro schools are thriving in our county. If you're looking for a good fit, for whatever reason, do the research. Visit schools. You can do it! The rewards are worth it.