Letters to the Editor
molly picon
Published Letters: 60 Editor's Choice: 3
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advice to LW
[Read the article: I'm a suburban husband in my 40s and I think I'm getting depressed]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Just came back from a short trip to Morocco, so I'm probably too late to chime in, but my advice: try meds, even if you're skeptical. I've seen them work wonders in that they can clear the mind towards action. They can also do nothing. And to Anonymous, January 10, 2008 10:30 PM, I'm sure this was said, but you're entirely missing the point. It is that feeling of blessedness in the first world, from being born into a rich country that is supposedly such a privilege, that can cause such sadness. It's just silly. Do you think poor people, those mysterious creatures in other places, are just walking around feeling miserable? If that were the case- if poverty and instability were the only cause of unhappiness and wealth, relatively speaking, were the only route to happiness, then God, or whoever, would have a pretty sick sense of humor. But things aren't quite that bad.
Beyond that, Cary's advice was very good, as usual. Maybe he is best suited to dealing with a certain type of problem, but he does it very well. I wrote in for advice about a year ago; I didn't take it but it would have been the best course for me to take. I'm not a total worshipper, but I read Cary's column at least a few days a week. It gives me some insight into the world, I hope, and is very, very well done.
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BBM
[Read the article: Remembering Heath Ledger]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I only saw Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain and I'm Not There- I'm just too old to have seen any of his youth movies. So, I only know him from these understated adult roles, which he did very well. I found myself thinking about his performance in BBM a lot after I saw the movie. How had he disappeared so completely into that part? Why did he make those acting choices? He appeared to exist with a wall around him, which I interpreted as a double wall: one around the actor, and one around the character. It was a really interesting performance, and most remarkable by the end, when he was so convincing as the odd, lonely, mourning dad of a teenager who was only a few years younger than the actor. A really lovely metaphor for lost love. Did the actor come to embody this loss in his real life?
On the other hand, I completely forgot his performance in "I'm Not There" until I tried to recall what I'd seen him in when I read that he'd died. I felt he made that part too heavy, and it needed more humor. Now I feel like seeing one of his teen movies, to see that vivacity I've been reading about.
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H and O
[Read the article: Undecided '08: Should I vote for Clinton or Obama?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Last night, I lay in bed thinking about who I would vote for tomorrow.
I felt unhappy. I couldn't get involved in the decision. I could only think of it in terms of who would have a better chance of defeating the Republicans in November.
I don't like Hillary, and I am a leftish, youngish woman. I don't like that she's arrived at this spot through her husband. I don't see how this latter fact can be denied. I don't like that the only crack women have had at the presidency so far has come through a marriage.
When I started hearing six or seven years ago- or was it that long?- that Hillary was being groomed for the presidency, I thought, no way. She'd never be elected. Not after all this.
And here we are, in the next nightly installment of the charade that is American politics.
As for Obama, he seems to be a blank slate. I'm in London and haven't been able to watch the full debates, although I did see the August debate. Kucinich and that weirdo Gravel were saying the things I wanted to hear, and Biden and Richardson were speaking with the most weight. I couldn't figure out why Hillary and Obama kept winning the polls.
I'll vote for him if I think he has a chance. But I still don't know. A black president? Is that what Americans will vote for now? I'd go back for the hoary white male if I thought he had the best chance. But we're picking a black man or a white woman. It becomes a symbolic gesture, because the history of their voting records are of such a comparable length. No one seems to be debating policy. Above all I want the less hawkish candidate. I'd also like health care to be addressed. Hillary seems to be more committed to this issue. But still...
Whoever wins will be a hawk. It's built into the position, unfortunately. The best we can do is choose someone who will front an administration that understands how to use diplomacy. I just don't know who that will be. Anyone? I don't mind some help on this.
Ms. Traister's musings about the black or the woman contain the usual level of serious analysis we can expect from mainstream journalism, which is none.
Still, I wish I could vote for my cat.
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my experience
[Read the article: What I wouldn't do for my cat]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Once, we adopted an elderly poodle. Within a few months we discovered a lump on her side. She had cancer. I don't remember how, but we found a vet who gave us a break on the price of the surgery to remove the cancerous lump as well as several follow up visits and some nights in the hospital. The cost was approximately $300 for the surgery, plus another hundred for follow ups and x-rays. I remember the staff really loved our dog, and we felt really lucky to have found a vet that would treat her at a price we could afford. Vets in poor neighborhoods set prices accordingly, and vets in rich neighborhoods will sometimes give discounts because they can make up the fees in other ways.