Letters to the Editor
MarieA
Published Letters: 251 Editor's Choice: 19
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Cast the net a little wider
[Read the article: Are men spoiled rotten?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It sometimes seems that the most plentiful commodity in the world is a-holes, but dating is a numbers game. I haven't calculated the ratio, but if it's a, say, 10-1 ratio of jerks to great guys out there, you have to date a fair number of men to get to the good one.
And the good one might be 35. Or 60 (you could be the hot chick to a 60 year old).
Whether they're spoiled or not, if a man wants kids, he wants kids. It does seem like a lot of men in their late 40s and early 50s (and older) are wanting families, which is understandable. Too bad they didn't deal with this earlier, but c'est la vie. (I say this not for the sake of the woman, but for the kids -- I speak as the child of a man who was 53 when I was born and would be 104 now, when plenty of my friends still have their parents.)
If you're going to date, you're going to face rejection and heartbreak in the hope of a really big payoff at some point.
But your odds are better than in Vegas, so why not keep trying?
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Don't use children as an excuse to make a reasoned decision
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Whether one likes it or not, performance enhancing drugs are here and they're going to stay. It's time to face the truth about that and deal with it. Better for it to be in the open and thus make some effort at a level playing field.
We are deluding ourselves that children are somehow "pure" when it comes to sports these days. Talented athletes are generally recognized young and most kids who are successful have access to special coaching and conditioning (yes, even "ghetto" children). It is the rare (nonexistent?) athlete who simply comes out of nowhere and attains a professional contract.
This is a business with an incredible amount of money and people are going to use an edge wherever they can get one. It's a lost cause to try to stop PEDs and it will be a lost cause to try to stop bionic enhancements when they come.
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Clink! Clink! The times they are a-changin', old man
[Read the article: My wife is terrible on the cellphone!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Oh please. Too old to text? Crabby about cell phones? I suppose those new-fangled computers are giving you trouble, too. What's next -- the horseless carriage?
Finding a working payphone was always a pain and you may have had a cordial relationship with the newsstand in your little fantasy world, but I enjoy reading news from all over the world on my computer as I sit here in my pajamas.
Get the missus a headset and an explanation about sidetones and whatnot until she swears she'll lower her voice just to shut you up.
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Careful ... careful
[Read the article: Baby branding]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Is "baby branding" really new? Oh, I'll mock right along with the best of you, but wasn't it the height of hubris to name your baby "Mary" after the mother of Jesus? And "Mary" (or Marie for that matter) isn't exactly how it's spelled in Aramaic, is it?
Oh, and please clarify at what point in human history did individuals feel really empowered? There are so many eras in which "the little guy" was enthroned that it's hard to pick.
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The Sting of Rejection
[Read the article: I'm an interesting, talented artist but I can't take the rejection!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Cary makes some excellent points.
As someone who worked in isolation for a number of years (and held down a day job most of that time), I discovered the truth of what Cary is saying a few years ago. Isolation is soul killing.
I have also attended workshops (not Ms. Schneider's)and had a small writing support group, both of which were very helpful.
My current support is an online writing critique group and this should be considered as well. Of course, it is a well-moderated group (important!), but there are no blasting critiques, merely suggestions to take or leave, and a "hooray" feature for successes. And yes, it can be depressing to see other people's success, but it can also spur you to keep going.
It is a great option for busy people and would certainly work with visual art, if only for mutual support and not necessarily critique. If you can't find a suitable group, it is easy enough to start one on Yahoo Groups.
It is hard to work and create, but it can be done. The Internet is a perfect way to get the positive reinforcement so vital to continued success.
Keep that in mind.
As an unsolicited testimonial, Cary mentioned Pat Schneider's "Writing Alone" in a column a while back and I immediately read it. It is probably the best book on writing (and is likely to be applicable to other arts) I have encountered.
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Be careful what you wish for
[Read the article: Is network neutrality a fake issue? Not if you want to watch the BBC]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Legislation always sounds great, but beware the Law of Unintended Consequences.
Consumer outrage works better and faster than laws any day. We have seen numerous examples in the world of the Internets. Dual pricing and other such schemes is going to have a tough time getting through the torrent of complaints about search systems, etc. are biased and unfair.
If we get legislation for "neutrality," then we're going to put government into the business of dictating how the people will conduct business and ultimately miring the Internet down with a million nitpicking details of doing things this way and not that, slowing progress down and raising costs.
If that doesn't convince you, let me remind you that people are still going to find a way to make a buck out of manipulating the situation and it will be in a way that is far more expensive to the consumer and harder to get rid of than a dual pricing system.