Letters to the Editor
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Published Letters: 200 Editor's Choice: 74
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Opening Weekend, Or Long Term
[Read the article: Money, money, money]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I rarely go to the movies. And I hate the emphasis on "first weekend" attendance numbers, because it seems to emphasize loud things that go boom over quieter movies that build by word of mouth (do those exist any more?) However, I've been looking forward to Mamma Mia, and I plan to go see it - although probably not on opening weekend. I don't like crowds.
However, I can see Mamma Mia as a movie that could grow over weeks or months, if that's still viable. I saw the broadway show a few years back, and although it was certainly very silly, it was a fun show that everyone seemed to enjoy. (I saw it when the Republican convention was in town, and even the most straight laced Republicans in the audience were on their feet singing along by the end.)
If the movie stays true to the show, I can see this as a show that would attract a wide range of people - much like My Big Fat Greek Wedding a few years back. I remember when that movie came out, it seemed like every suburban mom I knew told me that I "had to go see it". And even though it didn't have a killer opening weekend, it played and played and made tons of money by the end of the run, even though it didn't attract the typical teenage boy moviegoer. It seems like this movie could have similar appeal.
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Male vs. Female Careers
[Read the article: Pink-collar ghetto, here we come!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm a little skeptical about "male" careers vs. "female" careers. I'm a scientist, and my career path has sucked recently. I may have been paid well when I was employed, but I've been laid off three times in the last four years. The salary isn't as great when it's mixed with months of zero salary. On the other hand, I have several friends who were science majors with me, who decided to skip science graduate school and go into "traditionally female" careers instead - nursing, medical tech, etc. They are making just about as much money as I did at my peak (or more, if they work overtime), and they never have to worry about finding a job anywhere in the country. I've considered doing the same thing, except that I'm afraid of the crushing student loans to go back to school.
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Which One?
[Read the article: One nation, not just speaking English]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]If I wanted to learn a language that would be useful for my work, it would be German or Japanese. (Or possibly Chinese.) Although I've occasionally run across a scientific paper written by someone from Spain, for the most part Spanish wouldn't do me much good at my job.
However, learning German or Japanese wouldn't do me much good if I want to communicate with my neighbors or ask my apartment manger to fix my leaky faucet.
I'm all for learning a second language, although I never got much out of it myself. I took French from elementary school all the way through high school, and I never learned enough to communicate, even in a basic way. (I even went to France and was completely unable to even ask where the bathroom was - I kept asking for cheese, I think.) I never found French very useful, and eventually I dropped it in favor of calculus, physics and chemistry.
If we're going to mandate that kids study something extra in school, I'd be more in favor of teaching more science, which has a lot of value in terms of clear, logical thinking, as well as helping with job skills. It's still considered completely OK to say "oh, I never learned any math, I can't even balance my checkbook" or "science, ick! I never took any of that." I think that's a bigger detriment in life than not being able to speak Spanish.
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How To Recycle?
[Read the article: Where do all the old cellphones go?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Not all cell phones are still usable. I had a very old cell phone that I originally bought 5 or 6 years ago, and finally had to give up when my prepaid service stopped supporting TDMA. Even the women's shelter didn't want it because it couldn't get a signal. I wanted to recycle it, but couldn't find any place that would take it. (I tried a couple of places that offer to buy cell phones, but they all said this phone had a value of zero and wouldn't take it.)
I clicked on the link to the survey, and it did have a way to find out how to recycle your old Nokia phone. Ironically, though, the pop-up that helped you find a recyling center wouldn't work on my old computer. I guess I'll have to recycle my old computer before I can find a place to recycle my cell phone!
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67?
[Read the article: Make less! Save more! ]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Work until 67? Maybe things will be different in 30 years when I'm 67, but right now, I'm seeing my coworkers struggling to work into their 50's. Once they get over 50 or 55, they move right to the top of the layoff list. I know lots of people who have told me they really wanted to keep working, but once they were laid off, no one would hire them. (And these were people with advanced degrees in science, who are supposedly workers we need.) If they want to keep working to age 67, it's by picking up some hours at Starbucks or Target.
The press keeps talking about how we're going to have a "worker shortage" when the baby boomers retire, but I have my doubts that things will change.