Letters to the Editor
domini
Published Letters: 1093 Editor's Choice: 76
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there is a correlation between homework and school success; the research supports homework
[Read the article: Building a hate for learning]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]""Why is it important to get the homework study right?" asks Loveless. "Mainly because it is positively associated with student learning." Research shows that the relationship of homework with student achievement is positive for both middle and high school students and neutral for elementary school students."
Brookings and Rand, Sept 2006 http://www.brookings.edu/comm/news/20031001brown.htm
The more homework up to a certain point. Generally an additional 15 minutes of homework per grade, up to two hours, has a measureable positive impact of academic performance. There's a LOT of academic education research that backs this up.
Brookings points to very easy loads compared to the rest of the industrialized world, and this is detrimental.
http://www.brookings.edu/comm/news/20031001brown.htm
Moderation is key. http://www.nwrel.org/nwedu/2002sum/take-home.html
Both of these books are bunk. The research is shoddy and the cited researcher outside of the mainstream research results here.
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Doesn't the definition of obscenity cover this?
[Read the article: U.K. to outlaw violent porn after woman's death]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"Obscenity" usually is prurient, has no redeeming societal or artistic qualities, and is therefore exempt from free speech concerns and allowed to be regulated. Alfred Hitcock's work has artistic value, as does "Lolita". Most of what we ar talking about has no literary or cinematic value.
Violent porn HAS been linked to criminal behavior as a trigger by academic research. Non-violent, "consensual" porn is NOT linked by research to violent acts against people or animals (yes, that's right, animals). Depictions of degradation and pain appeal and reinforce mentally ill people, "normalizing" the behavior. You have to be mentally ill to look at this stuff. What normal person would get off on causing an unwilling person pain? Remember, serial killers get off on the pain.
We can regulate obscene materials. This stuff is obscene.
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I don't knwo where that interracial rape statistic came from
[Read the article: Guilt vs. innocence in the Duke case]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The FBI Uniform Crime Report consistently has interracial rape for all races at very low (below 20%). It does not support the idea that longitudinally black men commit more interracial rapes than white, Hispanic, or Asian men. The very small stat varies a little each year, but black men do not commit 85% of interracail rapes.
The statitistics point to most rapes being intra-racial. Whites rape whites, blacks rape blacks, etc, due to proximity. We live in mostly segregated communities. That plays a role.
The whole case has suffered from media overkill. I'll wait for a jury. The only thing I know is I don't know what happened that night.
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I think most workers are abused these days.
[Read the article: Why the barista can't breast-feed]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Everyone is overworked, and single people do need time off too. I've covered for some of my childfree colleagues when they were sick or using FMLA to deal with elderly parents. I have a childfree friend with cancer, and we are all pitching in (with our children) to maintain his home, raise moeny, etc.
Selfish is selfish, whether or not children are involved. A child-free co-worker can duck work and run it downhill just as fast as one with a child. I wish businesses (and government) were not in "speed up" mode of trying to make greater profits by working people into the ground. When we are on our deathbeds, I don't think any of us will say, "Gee, I'm glad I did that overtime". We all need time for ourselves.
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This will be interesting
[Read the article: U.K. to outlaw violent porn after woman's death]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The US Justice Department is going after a bunch of hard core video companies on obscentiy charges. I really want to see how they define "community standards" in federal court.
The vagueness may be the hole to drive the truck through. It is vague, but it has unfortunately been upheld. this SC is conservative, so it will be interesting to see what happens.
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LW likes drama and has bad judgement.
[Read the article: My boyfriend is a wild animal]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Cary gave good advice. The LW is not mature enough to follow it.
Does she get off on his getting beaten up or causing beat downs? He sounds less than intelligent here. The LW sounds like a drama queen who likes causing bad situations and then testing her BF with them. They deserve each other.
She needs to grow up. He needs to dump her because she's the bad influence, not him.
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Boundaries and slaps upside the head
[Read the article: My boyfriend is a wild animal]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Why isn't there more outrage over the violence against this sick, sad individual?
There are some things in this life you don't do if you are smart and like living. Playing victim after the slapping incident or the bike incident is unacceptable. He deserved exactly what he got. Some people will not learn until they get hit.
Should the woman have just stood there and taken it if she didn't have the male protectors? What if he refused to leave? Why is the "dragging" against him somehow worse than his slapping? Why does he get to go around threatening people without accountability? People are allowed self-defense. Aggressors can not claim victim status.
He's lucky. Some women would have punched him in the throat and dislodged his windpipe. He hasn't gone to the hospital. Yet. If he continues hanging out with the LW, he will wind up in the hospital, jail, or morgue.
What kind of woman encourages her boyfriend to slap a waitress on the butt? Actually, the waitress should have slapped the LW. The wrong one got hit here.
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SHe needs to hit the kids where it hurts.
[Read the article: "Mom on strike"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Striking is not the way. Take the TV, the DVR, the PS2, etc. Take the doors off their rooms. Until they clean up, they get no treats, no visits, no telephone, nada. If they want respect, they have to give it. We do not owe kids electronics, games, time with friends, etc. All of those things can be taken away if they act up. Clearly, these kids need some boredom.
Right now they may be embarrassed, but teens can happily live in filth until she can't stand the filth anymore. They need to be uncomfortable.
I agree that this sounds like a recent divorce. SHe needs to strap on her "I own the air you breathe" dictator hat. They don't have to e happy. They need to be responsible.
The strike is a step in the right direction. A number of women did this in the 70s. But I really think she needs to hit them where they hurt.