Letters to the Editor
Published Letters: 260 Editor's Choice: 42
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Barbaric treatments
[Read the article: New treatment for ovarian cancer]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The original Taxol/Cisplatin treatments are already too toxic and damaging - why would they want to make it harder on women who's full and meaningful lives are already reduced to weekly poisonings, cost-prohibitive nausea pills, daily blood-boosting shots, and constant pain, not to mention the indignities of being teated like cattle at the clinics. Yes, that is what my mother endured for two years before she died. She had exactly 3 months of remission out of that 2 years. Was it worth it? I say no. Try that regimen on men and watch the research shift drastically to a more tolerable treatment. By the way, if you have ovarian, avoid at all costs the Mayo Clinic. And get a woman oncologist.
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Good News, Bad News
[Read the article: Bush's war on professionals]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]NPR just had a segment on the Presidential Signing comments and their legalities. Bad news is that the expert on the segment, Andy Rudalevige, couldn't say whether or not his actions are illegal. Why didn't they have a cosntitutional expert? Basically he said that it was up to Congress whether they wanted to be invisible,
Here's the link:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5135077
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She is so right...
[Read the article: Molly Ivins on how lame Hillary Clinton is]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...if only Molly would run.
With apologies to my mother, who idolized Hillary, I would not vote for her either. Her only accomplishment, in my view, is surviving the conservative bashing that any strong, intelligent woman would receive on the national political stage. But unfortunately, Hillary doesn't have the slightest bit of political ability, while her husband has it in spades. Better that he should run again and we can wait for the presidential woman we deserve.
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The beat goes on
[Read the article: The man behind Abercrombie & Fitch]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This is so familiar. The uniform of my high school years was similarly clone-like - Gant shirts, and Weejuns for the guys, Ladybug and Villager for the girls. All the cool kids had them; all the uncool kids (of which I was one) unsuccessfully begged our parents for them. They changed the colors every season so that you could tell at an instant whether someone was wearing "last year's" outfits. It was all designed to identify the in-crowd.
Aside from Jeffries' Peter Pan complex, there is nothing unusual about A&F's success. Few high school or college kids can think for themselves yet anyway and there will always be a "uniform", whether it's Weejuns or flip flops, baggy pants or bell-bottoms. It's the prep school set telling themselves that they still matter in the world. That it's become homo-erotic is not new either; just that we recognize it as such.
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Too bad
[Read the article: Making love across generations]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Neither the author, nor the letter-writers have anything of value to write about cross-generational romance. The Why's are obviously complex, but not really interesting to anyone but your own therapist and friends; it's the How's that interest me. Surely there are more important topics than who's going to die first and what's on your iPod.
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Good Advice
[Read the article: My mother-in-law, my mother-in-law, my mother-in-law!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...from the letter-writers, and I will add my 2 cents.
1. Do learn how to say No, and follow it up with crisp, but non-abusive action. ("I'm going to bed. Please feel free to order out. I know my husband wants to spend more time with you. Good Night")
2. Don't make your husband choose sides between you and your MIL. This is the death-knell for a perfect marriage. Especially since he had such a loving childhood, he will want to side with his mom and you will look like the villain. This has ended two marriages in my family.
3. Don't complain about her to your kids either, as they grow up. Kids will find out by themselves.
4. Find some area of common interest. If there is none, create one. Knitting, cooking, tv shows. She is, as others have mentioned, threatened by you. This is true of most mothers-in-law, by the way, no matter how educated. She would love the attention and this little thing will make a big difference in her attitude.
If the above doesn't help:
5. Move a little farther away (or alot farther) and that way her visits will be fewer and more planned. Keep them busy sightseeing or other activities away from the house and she will be less involved in your domain. Catering/take-out/restaurants help avoid conflicts over tasks in the house.
6. Get a house without a guest room, if all else fails.
Mothers-in-law are Forever. Good Luck.
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Chill, dudes
[Read the article: Europe's cartoon jihad]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I am a little weirded out by the pent-up criticism of the Muslims, by Salon readers from the US and obviously Europe. Not that I don't agree with a lot of the points made - Religion breeds extremists and they get out of bounds on a regular basis. Mobs and murder are not acceptable , however, and it should be up to the governments to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators and at the same time, avoid profiling and discrimination. Their best defense is to depend on the law, which immigrants should be bound to obey or face deportation. Will they do it? That is the crucial question. Unfortunately, riots do work to intimidate law enforcement and anti-Muslim discrimination is wide-spread in Europe. Both sides have work to do.
However, I have a problem with letter-writers lumping all Muslims in with the demonstrators. At least allow for secular Arabs, women and children and many more who are are moderate but suppressed by the mullahs and gangs. There has also been simplistic stereotyping that is not only in error (Islam had an incredible renaissance of art and scientific knowledge that flowered during our Dark Ages in Europe. We were the ignorant barbarians then.) -- but it diminishes the adult ideals of free speech, souring it with childish nastiness. Your mother dresses you funny too.
While Islam was spread by the sword, it is up to modern Muslims to embrace or rewrite this legacy. We can't do much to force our version of culture on them without turning into Dick Cheney. Lets avoid that at all costs.