Letters to the Editor
Eileen Potocnak Arnold
Published Letters: 10 Editor's Choice: 4
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...and why Susie doesn't understand structured analysis or databases
[Read the article: Why Johnny can't code]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Since I came up through comp sci in the late '70s/early 80's, our computer science department required us to do all the math and the low-level programming. They wouldn't teach COBOL, for example; not applicable to comp sci in their opinion, though they taught FORTRAN, Pascal, C, assembly, etc. We had to learn how to bootstrap a PDP-11 from scratch.
We were also required to take many upper level courses that cross-listed with applied math. And as a woman (and often the only one in the class), it was also disappointing to see how comp sci and mathematics was out of balance between men and women - but that's another issue.
The one thing I now notice in my middle age is that newer programmer/analysts don't have a grasp of the fundamentals behind what they are coding - exactly what the article pinpoints. It's frustrating to me to have to explain to someone with a comp sci BS how underlying principles of design for databases and languages work. So it seems this is endemic even in some universities, which is frightening. Not to mention the interfaces with the OS and tuning issues - I work in a UNIX environment, but the developers normally code on Microsoft platforms.
I love the suggestion of an older machine as a tool for my daughter. I'll be surfing on e-Bay today! Thanks for a great article!
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Joe Haldeman is shaking his head...
[Read the article: The never-ending war]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The title of the article immediately (deliberately, perhaps?) brought to mind Joe Haldeman's The Forever War, his science fiction novel inspired by his experiences from Vietnam. It was published in 1974.
Here we are, 32 years later, and once again - we haven't learned either from history or those who lived through it and warned us of the consequences.
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Unfamiliarity? Maybe. Cooties? Probably.
[Read the article: First-day jitters]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]He definitely seems...vaguely uncomfortable with her, despite trying to hide it.
But whether or not he thinks she has cooties...I just think she was a bad choice. But it's appalling to me even now that I'm thinking about this....
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Great ex-President, or greatest ex-President?
[Read the article: Carter delivers a jolt for Joe]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Jimmy Carter, in his post-presidential years, has become the gold standard for ethical actions regarding public service for both Democrats and Republicans. What he was unable to achieve (or was unappreciated for) during his term as President has been eclipsed by his concise and on-point arguments in the current political climate.
I hope that President Carter has many more years in which he can continue to support the American people with his words and actions.
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The AARP has a point
[Read the article: The GOP wants to see your I.D.]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Neither of my grandmothers, who lived in Philadelphia and used public transportation, had a driver's license. One of them didn't work at all as an adult. Even if they could use their SSN, the issue with Privacy Act data wouldn't allow that to be used anyway. One grandmother, in fact, didn't even speak completely fluent English - but it was definitely fluent enough to read and write, so she could vote (she came from the Ukraine). I'm not sure what they would have had to dig up to prove they lived where they did and they were who they claimed to be. And they used cash, so no need for credit cards or licenses to cash checks.
My mother didn't learn to drive until we moved to the DC area (which didn't have the same amount of public transportation). She hasn't worked since 1961. She still doesn't like to drive.
I have a driver's license, but I don't own a car and I use public transportation. Am I just lucky that I keep my license current, given the potential future requirements?
Does this mean that urban residents of any stripe who choose public transportation are potentially disenfranchised?
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I understand the author
[Read the article: The breast of times]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]There are many disputes about when it is appropriate to wean. But by and large, first world countries wean much, much earlier than third world. I think this is very telling as to why our society finds breastfeeding something either not discussed or inappropriate - we've been conditioned against something that other countries take for granted.
I breastfed my daughter until she was 18 months. I weaned naturally as the author did...we eventually went to night-only feeding, and my milk production had significantly decreased.
However, I noticed something very interesting - until my daughter was about five, if I was around a baby for very long, I felt the tingle of "let-down". I also periodically leaked a few drops. Regardless of what anyone may say, my body knew it was *not* inappropriate to do so.
To this day, my daughter (age 8), still teases me about "nursey" (her phrase for nursing) when she is in a silly mood. When she cuddles against me, I've noticed that occasionally, one of her hands will slip automatically to the side of my breast - the one she always favored. While I gently move it back down to my waist, I think this is something she does without thinking.
I don't think I would have nursed until my daughter was four. But I understand why both the author and child would want to, given my own experiences. The polarization in the letters on this topic alone shows the strangely dysfunctional attitude that the US holds towards breastfeeding.