The holidays offer many of us a timeout — time off work, extra time with families and hopefully time to reflect on the things we take for granted most of the rest of the year: our health, our loved ones and the roof over our heads. Maybe keeping these blessings so present is why the holiday season also becomes the most charitable and neighborly time of year.

(Re: “Is Nablus Boulder’s sister?” Danish Plan, Dec. 15.) I just posted a comment to an article by Mr. Danish that focused only on the radical element in Palestine as to why Boulder shouldn’t consider Nablus as a sister city. I do appreciate the Boulder Weekly.

(Re: “Is Nablus Boulder’s sister?” Danish Plan, Dec. 15.) Oh yes, another rant from Paul Danish. This time about the proposed Boulder sister city relationship with Nablus, Palestine. His misinformed characterizations only help to fuel mistrust between the two peoples who live in Israel and Palestine.

Thanks for the article on GMOs and recent Boulder County meeting. I’m hoping you can answer a question for me that was prompted by the Monsanto rep’s comments at the end of your article. Lisa Drake explained that the company does not regularly sue farmers for having Monsanto GMO product in their produce as a result of drift.

I am a Boulder chiropractor, live in Boulder County and have attended two Boulder County cropland policy meetings which invited public comment concerning GMO agriculture on Boulder County publicly owned open space land.

I really love how Mr. Danish opened his piece. First, he rightly points out the incredible percentage of crops in America that are genetically modified and then he asks an incredibly important question: “Why are we even having this conversation?” I was hoping I could answer that for him.

(Re: “Surviving shelters,” cover story, Nov. 10). The last comment I saw about Boulder’s humane society included this statement: “Boulder Humane actively exhausts all options before considering euthanizing an animal.”

Your recent “Surviving shelters” story (cover story, Nov. 10) was unbalanced at best. At worst, it undermines the positive outcome that results when animal shelters and rescue organizations work together.

(Re: “Surviving shelters,” cover story, Nov. 10.) I want to thank Elizabeth Miller for writing this article. Finally someone is willing to be honest publicly about HSBV’s less-than-humane decisions about the animals that people take to them, thinking they will be safe.

All I could think after reading J.D. Simonson’s letter on “God’s Gifts” (the supposed gift of life granted by his god who he didn’t identify) was OMG! There is no sense in even discussing Mr. Simonson’s faith-based belief in a creator versus evolution.