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In the beginning, we numbered eight. Women whose friendships rekindled at a class reunion one year ago; deep, meaningful alliances based on the admirable quality that after all those years we still recognized each other.

This is one of the more important "off year" elections that we have had. The gubernatorial race seems to have already concluded and that may suppress turnout with serious consequences. The following are some good reasons to make sure that you vote.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

October is here and brings about a special time in our Morgan Hill lives. October is a month of balance. The kids have settled into their school routines, holiday madness hasn't yet begun, and the weather is often just about perfect here in Morgan Hill - not too hot, not too cold, not too dry, and not too wet. All this blissful balance creates a little space in our lives to think about three important issues: safety, scheduling, and sharing.

 Have you noticed how airplane travel has changed in the past few years? I'm not just talking about the new security restrictions and full body searches we submit to every time we fly the friendly skies, although that aspect has certainly livened up our flying experiences.

Other than good parents at home, the single biggest indicator of a kid's success in school and in life is a quality teacher in the classroom.

A front page headline. The Morgan Hill Times headline on Tuesday read "City to toughen social host ordinance." While we'd like that to be the case, the truth is the city isn't changing anything yet.

Don't you just love autumn? That certain nip in the air; the sun-washed fields of large, orange globes soon to be reborn as ghoulish characters dwelling on front porches; golden leaves falling from trees to be blown away by the wind; my extra thick and creamy pumpkin facial masque.

Who doesn't want sex offenders tracked and kept away from children? As the only provider of services for victims of sexual assault in South Santa Clara and San Benito counties, Community Solutions is committed to our community's safety and victims' rights. However, as such, we recognize that Proposition 83, dubbed Jessica's Law, will not be conducive to protecting our community from sexual predators.

In troubled times, it is too often easy to put pejorative labels on those who disagree with you. In recent speeches Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney have labeled those questioning the war in Iraq as appeasers and House Republican Leader John Boehner has said Democrats who question the administration's methods of interrogating and prosecuting terrorists are "more concerned about protecting terrorists than protecting the American people."  Boehner's comments were so distasteful that even President Bush said he wouldn't have said them the same way.