Letters to the Editor
Taliesan
Published Letters: 942 Editor's Choice: 19
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The alternative:
[Read the article: American empire, going, going ...]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]A steady government which doesn't rush into action before it needs to, which identifies your enemies before launching any attacks and which, when it does something, does it to the best of its ability.
Instead of the cultural isolationism of America today (Whereby ideas from other countries are treat with suspicion because they are foreign, not because of their merits or demerits) you can have an open and adventurous ideal of adopting the best the world has to offer.
Instead of saying "Oh its okay, they aren't Americans" when foreign people have their rights violated by the US government, you can get a government which respects its own constitution even when the people protected by it can't vote.
Instead of violating world treaties, you can have a government which honours them, and treats honourably with other countries. America's violations of its treaties (Geneva and the NPT) discourage honest dealing with America.
On internal policies, instead of policies which create the impression of America's cars as being gas guzzling smog producers, you can have regulations that meet and better those of the countries you want to export to. Strict laws on quality control and environmental standards can be used to your advantage.
Instead of using war to further your international aims, you can use persuasion. Instead of acting like you believe in the James Bond mad scientist, you can actually pay attention to what scientists have to say and do what you can to not only boost research, but make being a scientist popular.
You can bring in a government that demands minimum standards for how workers are to be treated before importing from other countries, including minimum wages.
Insist that your companies apply American minimums in countries whose minimum standards are lower. The American minimum standards are your minimum standards because anything less is unnacceptable to you, so let that guide you.
And above all, if you are going to do something do it right. Don't go to war and expect to sub-contract the dying, if you are going to fund something put in internal controls so that you get what you are paying for.
The biggest problem with Bush's government outside of torture has been its habitual lack of accountability in the money it has thrown at its pet projects, that includes AIDS in Africa, the Iraq war, and No Child Left Behind.
Sure, you can never get Utopia, but you can have a government that is willing to at least try to achieve Utopia. Things will never be perfect but they can always be better.
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Daniel Myers
[Read the article: America's water war]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Logically, they would be inclusive.
The 26 percent would still fit the "Drought affected" category which covers the 78 percent.
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Okay, why not go with a GOOD comic that isn't universally hated by your readership?
[Read the article: Kansas O'Flaherty ... Secret Agent]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You could make a deal to get Order of the Stick
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0506.html
Or Goblins
http://www.goblinscomic.com/
Or any number of comics which do not actually outright insult your readership and make their eyes bleed.
Seriously this post ironic crap (And yes I do get that the joke is in how bad and hackneyed it is) is not funny it is just downright terrible.
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The reason why Hollywood can't make a really good mythical movie
[Read the article: "Beowulf" vs. "The Lord of the Rings"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Is this: If it has a sex element, Hollywood has no concept of how to handle it with any subtlety.
If it has no sex element, or a very limited one, Hollywood feels the need to just ram it in there because, hey, that is the full summary of the depth of most Hollywood directors and writers.
Plus people just love watching actors kissing for two hours rather then advancing the plot.
If Hollywood was to actually do a myth right it would have to do the following:
Don't add stuff. Seriously, these are stories which survived by way of mouth for hundreds of years for a reason and anything you are likely to add to them will suck.
A battle has a much greater impact if you haven't already seen the same character taking down a dragon, two gorgons and the beast of aaaaaarg.
CG has a much better impact if you haven't already seen the said dragon, two gorgons and beast of aaaaaarg. Actors always look better then CG.
Talking, can be wasted. If something is happening on screen you don't need the characters to explain it to the audience, if it has happened you don't need to recap it, and if it has nothing to do with the story you don't need to include it. Also, as a special mention, swearing only has an impact if a character does it once.
Romance, when it fits fits but don't spend half the movie with characters smooching. It should not get in the way of the original plot, and if it doesn't fit it can simply be skipped.
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It depends.
[Read the article: My wife keeps cheating but we have two kids. Should I leave her?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]If it matters to you, leave her. It isn't fair to her, your kids or to yourself to stick around. Kids aren't so emotionally fragile that they can't take their parents splitting up and so long as the divorce is kept amicable, things will go okay and you will both survive.
If it doesn't really matter to you and you can live with it while still liking her, sit down with her and discuss declaring the marriage open - so that at least you get to enjoy yourself too and at least it is honest.
In either case stop, breath and look at what your real feelings are on the subject. Either stay or go, but don't go the route of staying only to make yourself miserable.