Letters to the Editor
robob
Published Letters: 48 Editor's Choice: 4
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kitty
[Read the article: Aw]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I love it! More pet photos PLEASE. Especially kitty photos.
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kitty
[Read the article: Aw]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Cuter that a june bug on a prairie dog!
Where are the kitties?
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kitty toe soup
[Read the article: Puppy armada!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]cute as hell
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Rude behavior
[Read the article: I've had it!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I too am tired of listening to loud cell phone conversations, avoiding swerving drivers on cell phones, and general rude behavior. I think it is ,in part, a manifestation of the crass society we live in, in which Paris and Britney are newsmakers, and in which a raging war in a foreign country is glossed over in the media.
There are some regional differences. I grew up in the South and live in Massachusetts now, and I notice how much more polite people are when I visit the South. Cell phones have magnified the problem everywhere, though. I have a cell phone too, but I make sure to consider others when I am having a private conversation. Been to the airport lately? I was in Newark airport a while ago and some geezer in a golf shirt was SCREAMING at his secretary on his cell phone. Let's face it, a lot of people in this country are self-centered pricks. Viva democracy.
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Bodyguard's Credentials
[Read the article: The Fix]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]After graduating from USNA went to CA to be a bodyguard? There is a five year service requirement after graduation from a military academy, and being a bodyguard in CA isn't on the list as far as I know (I attended USNA but did not graduate). Something fishy!
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Labels
[Read the article: The disbeliever]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Thank you Salon for publishing this interview. I had heard about this book in passing, but thought it was another rant by someone in the vein of Stephen Gould. After reading the interview, I realize his view of the world is close to mine. I grew up in the deep South where "Jaysus" was a topic of many conversations, usually in relation to passing judgement on some group or behavior.
I think part of the problem are the terms "religion", "atheist" and "christian". I don't consider Sam Harris an "atheist" in the vein of Madalyn Murray O'Hair. Like a lot of people (and me) he just cannot accept a simplistic world view for the world he perceives. Many people who study shamanism, mysticisim, psychic phenomena, etc have experiences that show them that the world as defined by CNN, Time, NY times et al. ain't quite right. Begin a program of meditiation with an open mind and you just might see for yourself.
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torn
[Read the article: Diet your way to a long, miserable life!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]On one hand I find the idea of longevity through CR intriguing. On the other hand, it seems kind of creepy. It kind of reminds me of those sci fi movies from the 70s where people in the future wore white scrubs and took pills for their "meals" Remember the scene in Barberella where they had sex by taking a pill and touching hands?
I think that the same goals aspired to in the CR diet could probably be achieved by eating a sensible diet and taking the appropriate supplements. A previous poster mentioned the recent study on resveratrol, which appears to keep rats on a fat diet in excellent health. I think I would rather take resveratrol and eat a sensible diet (including some fatty things) than exist on the CR diet as some kind of ghoul.
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Appeal
[Read the article: Buddha on the brain]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Buddhism appeals to me because it effectively skips the "non overlapping magesteria" argument applied to religion and science and goes straight to the heart of the matter: human experience. That is why many people find it difficult to label (as a religion or something else.) I know, "Buddhism" encompasses many practices and varieties of teachings. But I don't think anyone seriously disputes that at its core, Buddhimsm is concerned with human consciousness, what it is and how it can be refined. Buddhism has developed many practices, including meditation and breathing that influence human consciousness, and anyone who says that these practices do not influence what we perceive as conscious experience simply don't know what they are talking about.
Science can help interpret and describe these changes, whether they be gross or subtle, and who knows maybe some kind of technology can come out of it. It does not seem very scientific to me, though, to throw out anecdotal and statistically significant reports on possible reincarnation ( or whatever it is that the UVA research has uncovered) as wish fulfillment or some kind of "live forever" ego fulfillment. Science ,like some aspects of Buddhism, is a method.
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troubling
[Read the article: Saddam: The death of a dictator]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I know Saddam was a bad guy. But, is it just me, or does anyone else feel that there is something disgusting about the TV coverage, ie the CNN coverage of the "celebration" from Dearborn MI. I worry about the current state of our country.
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Could someone explain
[Read the article: Manufacturing belief]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Where in the scientific method the notion is that "miraculous claims require miraculous evidence". This guy claims everything from telepathy to qi (chi) is bunk, but as everyone who has bothered to delve into the subjects knows, there does exist some scientifically verifiable evidence. Maybe not enough to convince the hardened skeptic, but enough to know that there is something worth exploring.
Even in Red China, the godless communists, are researching qi (chi, prana) and finding some interesting things. I wonder in 50 years, when China is running the world, what this research will yield. I guess scientists like Wolpert will still have their heads up their tails.