Letters to the Editor
Serai1
Published Letters: 503 Editor's Choice: 32
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Cute
[Read the article: Mnemonic for 11 planets sure beats "Roy G. Biv," "Homes"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Then again, actually LEARNING about the planets would make it easy to remember their names. But I guess that's too much effort for most people, what with science being so useless and all, so they need these silly tricks.
And we wonder why we're trailing behind the rest of the world in quality of education.
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This all sounds pretty good
[Read the article: Anonymous no more]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The option of complete anonymity tends to bring out the worst in people online, I've found. Taking away that option will go a good way towards calming down the attacks and nastiness.
One think I'd like to ask about is the window on posting letters. I've gone to post a response to articles only a day or two old and found the letters thread closed. Once it happened on an article that was not even nine hours old! This really inhibits input and debate. You should think about extending that window at least a couple of more days. Not everybody gets to the articles that interest them quickly, and if a regular reader is kept away from the internet for just a couple of days, he might miss the opportunity to provide input or ask a relevant question because the door has been slammed much too soon.
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Good gods
[Read the article: In death, William F. Buckley prompts search for big words]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"Back when looking things up was a chore"? Excuse me??
What a sad thing to say. I've always found looking up new words to be a delight, and far more so "back when" one had to do it with a dictionary rather than flipping around some website. As usual with books, there's not only the target you're looking to acquire (in this case, the word in question), but all the rest of the knowledge that moves before your eyes as you're searching. Often when looking up a word in my trusty Webster's, I'd catch sight of some other word, related or not, that would interest or enlighten me. Diving into a dictionary is not a "chore", it's more like a treasure hunt, yielding up unexpected goodies.
And it's also a sad commentary on these times that people are so perplexed by a word like "perspicacious". I think I knew that word by the time I was fourteen. But then, I did a hell of a lot of reading from the time I was a kid (not "age-appropriate" crap, but REAL books - the kind with adult level words in them), and that is really the only way to pick up a sizable vocabulary.
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@Mister Marker
[Read the article: In death, William F. Buckley prompts search for big words]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Thanks for posting those links. Fascinating discussion. What I found most interesting is watching these two very erudite men, from opposite ends of the political spectrum, discussing these issues in such a calm, polite manner, respectful of each other's style while still disagreeing on so much. It's rather disheartening to compare it with what passes for debate these days, so much of which is gross, ignorant and rude. To go from Buckley to O'Reilly, for example, just puts into sharp relief how political discourse has fallen. Imagine the likelihood of a debate of this sort being broadcast today!
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Some advocate
[Read the article: The audacity of narcissism]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Nader made his name decades ago by being a consumer advocate, a very important voice for those who were being victimized by corporate industry. But now, it seems, his main claim to fame is trotting out every four years to wave his arms and yell LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME. Whatever happened to that supposed concern for the citizenry?
If Nader wants to continue being a force for good, why isn't he putting all his efforts into the very thing that brought him fame - consumer advocacy? It's not as if we don't NEED someone like that anymore. Hell, what with the China food and toy recalls, the beef scandals, the fuel efficiency tango, he could keep himself busy for the rest of his life just doing the job he got famous for. Why is it that Nader is no longer interested in actually helping people, but only in getting attention for hopeless runs at a presidency he will never, ever gain?
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Little dick syndrome
[Read the article: Flag pins are for losers -- literally]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Wearing a flag pin is a form of patriotic chest-thumping, a way of bragging about being a "patriot". And to quote Bill Maher:
"Saying you're patriotic is like saying you have a big cock. If you have to say it, it probably isn't true."
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Things that make you go hmmm...
[Read the article: This just in: Women are stupid!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Well, that article certainly proves her point. Just not in the way she thinks it does.
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So much for straight talk
[Read the article: John McCain's permanent tax cut revolution]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Another GOP asshole looking to keep his friends rich. Unbelievable that anyone other than corporate goons would vote for that prick.
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Criminal liability
[Read the article: Understanding Heath Ledger's death]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]How in the world did it ever become legal for pharmaceutical companies to advertise their drugs in the media, and who the hell could have thought that was a good idea? Years ago, you NEVER saw ads for drugs anywhere. It was the business of doctors, and ONLY doctors, to deal with drugs. Now anybody and everybody can think they know about prescription drugs, and what with the half-a-million designer pill fads that come along every year, there's no way to keep track or to police the dispensing of these things.
The first thing to do to remedy the situation is to make advertising of drugs in the media illegal again. But good luck with that.
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Bwahaha!
[Read the article: "Women are stupid!" The discussion continues]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Anywhere: Hey, Charlotte. Nice tits. Sincerely, a guy.
And you took that comment seriously, Carol? Way to prove the point about "feminists" not having a sense of humor. You really wouldn't know irony if it hit you in the face, would you?
I swear, every day I'm less inclined to call myself a feminist, seeing how humorless, unbending and freaking WANKY some "feminists" have become. Getting damn tired of having to tell people, "No, we're not all like that. Some of us actually have more brains than God gave a turnip."