Letters to the Editor
nellen
Published Letters: 8
-
Not so unbelievable
[Read the article: The battle to ban birth control]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As a student a small liberal (with a capital L) arts college in the early 90's I relied on the college medical service to obtain birth control pills. I used them to control cramps, bleeding and also to prevent pregnancy. As a dirt poor college student with no private transportation, my only viable option was to get them at the clinic at a nominal price - Until a group of feminists decided to protest this practice. They claimed that we were being posioned by the pill and that by dispensing them the clinic was jeprodising the health of womYn because birth control pills were inadequately tested. So while the rest of us women yelled WTF? they got it banned from the health center. As for what to do about the pain from cramps etc. We were told to use a concoction of herbs to relive of of pain and bleeding - I'm still waiting for the double-blind long-term study of the long term effects of those. We also received lovely pamphlets describes how our womYn friends could massage us with their feet. When I want someone to put their dirty slimey feet on my back I will hire them do so. And next time when I want zelots to get out of my person business I will scream as loud and long as it takes.
-
Availability of Credit Card and Phone records
[Read the article: Who's to blame for James Kim's death?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It is easy to see how the easy availability of private phone and credit records may have helped James Kim's frantic parents to find him. I empathize with anyone who finds themselves in that terrible situation; and my first reaction is also to ask "How can we make sure this never happens again?" While the making records available may have helped Kim, it could easy hurt others. In most cases there is no way for officials to immediately determine of they are dealing with a legitimately concerned family member or an abuser attempting to regain control over a fleeing victim. We must ensure that we are not hindering an escape while attempting a rescue.
-
What I wouldn't do for my cat
[Read the article: What I wouldn't do for my cat]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My vet just recommended that my cat have an echocardiogram because he has a heart murmur. The cat is perfectly healthy and is, in fact, attacking my arm as I type. Now the cat's trying to have a romantic moment with my feet - don't think it needs any medical help, maybe some counseling though...
-
teachers
[Read the article: Give the "drunken pirate" teacher a break!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It seems that the attacks on teachers for this behavior are a symptom of the general disrespect for educators. It may have happened (but I haven't heard of doctors) counselors, nurses, psychologists or librarians being subject to this level of scrutiny.
-
Budweiser will still be here.
[Read the article: The rise and fall of an American beer]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I don't mind mass produced beers on a hot day at the ball park, and Budweiser certainly is not going anywhere. After clearly copying the name, and producing a poor imitation of the style, they sued the original Budweiser for using their name in the US. The American Budweiser capitalized on making consistent beer,advertising the heck of it and making it cheaply. Macrobreweries are able to make cheaper beer by using inferior malt adding rice and/or corn instead of pure barley malt. A good pilsner is one of the harder styles to make, flaws being easy to taste. It's much easier to pile a ton of hops on to cover up whatever you did wrong. That being said, Victory Prima Pils (Victory Brewing, PA) and Steam Whistle (Steam Whistle Brewery, Toronto, Canada)are both excellent pilsners. If you just want something good, and not too heavy I would also recommend Phin and Matt's Extraordinary Ale (Southern Tier Brewery, NY). BTW, Guinness is one of the largest breweries in the world.
-
Why wouldn't it result in PTSD?
[Read the article: Postpartum PTSD?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You're sick, frightened and terrified that you and your child might die, what part of this wouldn't lead to PTSD if you're prone to it? By definition, if you are having a very difficult labor, things are going wrong, ex. eclampsia, heavy blood loss, shock, premature labor. It's not common in developed countries, but women and children still do die during birth. While this doesn't describe the vast majority of child births, it does describe some. People have (obviously) been giving birth for eons, but that doesn't mean they don't develop PTSD. People have also been fighting wars for eons. People have been depressed, had epilepsy, and arthritis for eons. The difference is that now we can treat them.
-
@Alecs Mom
[Read the article: Postpartum PTSD?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]According the American Association of Family Physicians 9% of serious automobile accident victims suffer from PTSD with many more showing related symptoms. Fullerton et al (2001) cite studies showing 34%-39% of serious car accident victims have PTSD. So, no, the numbers don't seem high to me.