Letters to the Editor
rocket999
Published Letters: 107 Editor's Choice: 9
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there's gotta be a way
[Read the article: He dribbles! He shoots! He drives me insane!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I think many of the commenters underestimate the potential impact of the basketball playing. It's not like the yelling from soccer or running around, or the annoying but usually short leaf blower, or even the rrr-rrr-rrr from motorized toys. It's on a totally different scale. Baskbetball is a steady, arhythmic thump. thump...thump......thump....thu-thump...thwack...thump.....thump..thump. If the property is a duplex, the vibrations themselves might be felt in the house with every attempted dunk.
It's true, not everyone would be bothered by this, but some people really are. It's like Chinese Water Torture- the thumps are worse because you don't know when they will hit next. Only mutual respect leading to compromise will help you with this one.
The child has a right to shoot hooops at his house, you have the right to enjoy quiet evenings. So talk to the kid and his parents, and see if you can find a middle ground- e.g. the thumping stops at 6pm, except on fridays and weekend. If there is a local park with courts, figure how he can get there and back on his own (e.g. on a bike), or, if it makes sense, drive him yourself. Once this strategy has been working for a few weeks, buy the kid a new ball, as a token of goodwill. And then yeah, maybe trying playing a few rounds with him. And then go home, smiling, after you get trounced.
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how to evaluate a book
[Read the article: Who killed the literary critic?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I have a very simple method for determing whether a fiction book is worth reading- I pick it up and read a few pages. If it grabs me, I keep going. If not, I put it down.
A critic (e.g. book reviewer) will help guide my selection of which book to pick up, but realistically that's about as far as their influence goes. Once in a while, after I've read a book, a critic will help me see something in it that I didn't before, as will a converstaion with book-loving friends.
I'm not so sure I need or want a critic to do more than that.
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I have some hope
[Read the article: Waiting for the first Madam President]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]that we will see a woman run for president again in 12 or 16 years. I have a feeling that it will be a Republican, like Condoleeza Rice, because the Democrats will be "once bitten, twice shy" for a very long time.
In the meantime I will vote for Obama in the general election. I really have a lot of respect for Obama, even though I'd prefer Clinton. But I'll have to hold my nose while doing it, because of all the vitriol I've heard spewed against Clinton by his supporters. Luckily I think Obama is better than his supporters- I hope he proves me right.
I don't know what I'll do in the next election, if once again the Democrats run a bunch of dull men. I might just not vote- and I don't say that lightly.
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tough spot
[Read the article: Should I confront my father about his affair?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]If you decide you must speak up, try to avoid confronting your dad yourself. Confess your "suspiscions" to your dad's best (male) bud, and let them have a man-to-man talk, or something like that. You definitely don't want to be privy to any confessions. Or at least, I wouldn't.
Hmmm....I wrote up a bunch more, but none of it was any good so I deleted it. How can you simultaneously protect your mom, your dad, and their marriage? I have no idea.
Good luck.
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still don't have any good advice
[Read the article: Should I confront my father about his affair?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]as another poster said, if you don't say anything, you enable your dad to go on betraying your mom, and she may never forgive you for that. if you do speak up, you risk destroying their marriage, which might not be necessary or desirable.
so what do you do?
i still don't know. but do consider enlisting a third party without giving yourself away- then your dad has someone to talk to about it outside the family and the other woman, which might be all it takes to bring clarity to the situation, one way or another. and perhaps you can gain some clarity about the future- is he planning to leave your mother for this person?
as for the posters who are blaming you for snooping- i think almost everyone would have done what you did, and even if you hadn't opened the e-mails, you still would have known, wouldn't you? it was obvious at a glance from your dad's unusual e-mail address and all the e-mails from one woman. believe me, "snooping" is the least of all possible evils in this scenario. in fact, maybe more snooping is in order, to decide if you need to to tell your mom.
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this makes a lot of sense
[Read the article: Soap opera social engineering]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I remember travelling on a bus deep inside Bolivia, listening to Manu Chao sing about immigrants crossing the border illegally into the U.S. The song, in Spanish, is both humorous and sad. I was struck by how Manu's message could penetrate into this place so easily, and how hard it would be to transmit that same sentiment using traditional advertising techniques (billboards, commercials, etc).
It makes sense that television would have the same effect. In fact, I recall an article about the empowering influence of Bollywood/television on rural Indian women- was that also on Salon?
When used for good, television and radio can really be powerful instruments for social change.
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@Liz B
[Read the article: Soap opera social engineering]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Thanks for posting the link- that article is very interesting and I will pass it along.