DINING ALONE
I’m writing to share my thoughts on Elizabeth Borelli’s “Dining Solo?” column in the January 14th issue. I found it really interesting how she talked about the stigma of eating solo and how she’s been eating solo at home. I also liked how she included some healthy eating tips and positive thinking ideas.
I had a thought – what if Borelli wrote a follow-up piece about eating dinner solo in restaurants? That would be a great idea for both solo diners and restaurants that want to fill seats in this era of carry-out!
Karen J. Kefauver | Santa Cruz
THE ABCs OF AI
The letter Down with AI in the Level Up edition raised interesting concerns about the publication’s use of generative AI for art. In a world obsessed with efficiency, the concept of advancement has become reductive. While social progress is continually undermined, new technologies infiltrate our lives without much debate or compromise. AI feels like the final frontier. Once we willfully relinquish all human contributions to machines, businesses will have successfully colonized every facet of our lives.
That’s not to say we should be Luddites. Still, we should question whether we are building a culture that facilitates existential satisfaction. In your response, you assured Molly that humans were behind the work and that AI was used for minor assistance. This assumes the issue is based on the amount of AI used, but I’m more interested in why it was used.
I define art as any meaningful human response to the absurdity of existence. So, I view the process as the art itself, while the outcome acts as a conduit that connects an audience with creative expression. Before AI, advancements in artistic tools increased productivity. Still, the input was always human. Once we undermine the artistic process with concerns of efficiency, we are no longer cultivating authentic works, but products of consumption.
There is irony in using AI in an antiquated medium such as a local newspaper. Doing so appears to disregard why people might read something commonly viewed as outdated. Among other reasons, genuine human expression is difficult to find in the digital age. For some, print offers a much-needed alternative. Personally, I’d prefer a stick figure on the cover of GoodTimes over something created with AI. I drew one for you to use as you see fit.
Bell S. | Santa Cruz
MICROPLASTICS NEED TO BE COUNTED
In “Ocean View, Pollution Included”, your excellent summary of the science panel that was held at Rio Theater last November and was dedicated to plastic and other pollution of our oceans, you quote one of the panelists as saying “long-term monitoring will make a big difference in healing the oceans and coastlands”. I could not agree more. Nationwide monitoring of microplastics by the EPA is long overdue. While the Trump administration is taking a hatchet to critical EPA programs, this is one place where we have the power to force action. In November of 2025, Governors of seven states petitioned EPA for microplastics monitoring. This is a critical step that, under the Safe Drinking Water Act, requires EPA to include the specified contaminant in its monitoring program. I urge the EPA to begin to address this huge problem by including microplastics in the next Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR). I also urge residents of Santa Cruz county to submit their comments to the EPA once the comment period for the UCMR opens.
Natalie Beebe | Aptos
