Letters to the Editor
Malusinka
Published Letters: 350 Editor's Choice: 49
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The way I see it
[Read the article: My boss wants me to apologize to his wife]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You had a friendship with your boss. You got along, you worked together, you had a few drinks. No harm done.
At some point, the friendship crossed the line from platonic to a serious relationship that was interfering with your relationship with your partner and his with his wife, even if you didn't do anything about it.
Then, you got out. Maybe, you should have got out earlier, but hey, we're all human and we all make mistakes. The thing is, you did the decent thing and got out and you didn't sleep with a married man.
You're a great person. If you feel obliged to apologize, apologize to ex-boss. Tell him you're sorry you didn't dump his pathetic ass long before you did.
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Maybe she needs a best friend who is there 24/7
[Read the article: My neighbor is having coffee with somebody new]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Some people are like that. They want/need someone who is there all the time. Who they can call and will never say 'I've got a meeting to go to.'
Maybe her life has been one long string of intense friendships. It doesn't mean you can't be friends with her.
I thought maybe the boss in the previous letter was like that. Needing someone really close in whom he invested a lot of emotional energy. People like that can be destructive.
I thought the Boss in the previous letter was perhaps like that. Needing a really close emotional connection.
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Objective?
[Read the article: How are the U.S. and Kazakhstan alike?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Having lived in the UK, my impression is that the UK is a more sexist society. They are way behind the US in dealing with sexual harrassment in the workplace. But according to this study, they're ahead of us.
So, while it states the obvious: you don't want to be a woman in the Muslim fundie boondocks, how much does it tell us about the rest of the world?
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More ways than one
[Read the article: On the fake campaign trail]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Years ago, when Bill Clinton was president and visiting Russia, I went to a meeting between him and students at the Moscow Main Univeristy. He gave a speech. At points in the speech, the audience clapped.
I was 6 rows behind the (fairly large) white house crowd and I noticed that the clapping started when David Gergen in the front row clapped. Then the white house crowd clapped, then the audience (who would never have been so rude as to interrupt a speech to clap) realized they were supposed to clap and did.
The points that caused the audience of Russian students to whisper, sit up, or otherwise express (politely quiet) emotion were not the same as the ones that Gergen thought should be applauded, but they dutifully clapped when cued.
Since then, I've been cynical about most such events.
Manipulation: It's standard.
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Surface or substance?
[Read the article: Queen Hillary's disruptive court]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Paglia focuses on the surface. Who cares if Hillary Clinton has a warm public persona? Would she make a better president if she found some babies to coo over?
I'm not sure if I care whether or not she's good at the the mud slinging that passes for campaigning these days. Being quick with unscripted sound bites isn't an important talent for a president.
I'm not a die-hard Hillary supporter. I have questions about her - like her healthcare reform effort. But if you want to criticize her, please do it on substance.
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And this is the country that scored higher
[Read the article: Britain in "moral collapse" over rape?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]than the US on Gender Equity?
England has two problems: One is alcohol. It's a hell of a lot harder for a women to prevent rape if she's drunk. (And of course, drunk guys are a lot fuzzier about consent. Is it needed? Was it given? What the heck is is?)
The other is the glorification of slutty behavior. Want five minutes of fame? Flash your boobs on TV, in the newspapers, on big brother. There are TV shows/new stories that follow 20-somethings on holidays to resorts where the goal seems to be to "shag" or "snog" as many of the opposite sex as possible. Along with the crude 'lads' there are 'ladettes'.
A good night out seems to be equated with getting plastered and making out with a hot stranger.
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You can't change how people look at you, you can change yourself
[Read the article: I can't stand losing my beauty as I age!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm 45, and yep, I've noticed the beginning of wrinkles. I was never a great beauty, but I was attractive and I've been attracting fewer looks for a while now.
You can't bring it back. Perhaps a load of surgical or chemical interventions can hold back the tide for a year or two, but too much and you'll just look funny. (Think of how awful Melanie Griffith looks now).
But you can change how you feel about it. You can stop those evil thoughts. Find a mantra (Ommmm or 'I am beautiful') or call your sweetie or the minute you think derogatory thoughts deliberately look for something positive in the person. Try them out and find something that works for you.
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Actually husbands and wives often have similar IQs
[Read the article: Hillary Clinton: Better as a flight attendant?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]At least in relationships that last.
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Gray water recycling
[Read the article: America's water war]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]In response to drought, the simple answer is gray water recyling. That means reusing rinse water. First, you need environmentally safe detergents. Then you need to have two outflow pipes, one for dirty water, one for cleanish. Like the last rinse cycle in the dishwasher or washing machine. For the last rinse in the shower. Let that water be used to water lawns and wash cars.
Not every drop of used water has to be treated like sewage.