Letters to the Editor
Bhamwriter
Published Letters: 41 Editor's Choice: 14
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New music
[Read the article: iPod: I love you, you're perfect, now change]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]When I got my first Mac with iTunes, I thought it was a nifty application that would allow me to rip a few of those CDs that only have a few tracks I really like and make some compilation CDs. I never dreamed it and the iPod would entirely change the way I listen to music. I finally bought an iPod a year ago and absolutely love it. I actually don't use the earbuds much, mostly listening through my car stereo -- although it sure was nice to have during my root canal!
I disagree about the iPod discouraging us from listening to new music. The iPod, and the whole digital music thing, has allowed me to discover all sorts of new music that I never would by listening to the local radio stations that all play the same crap over and over again. For instance, Salon's Daily Download is a great source for discovering new music. And I'll buy one or two tunes from iTunes by an artist I'm not familiar with where I would never risk 15 to 20 bucks on a CD.
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Retch is right
[Read the article: I Like to Watch]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]We watched the first episode, intrigued by the fact that it had Rachel Griffiths and Calista Flockhart in it, and we were "Six Feet Under" and "Ally McBeal" fans (at least until Billy died). We quickly gave up on it. It seemed like the most stereotypical, shallow characters. Sally Field seemed like she was expecting Shelby to walk in any minute; her mother performance seems like a rerun of "Steel Magnolias." And then there was the fact that they GAVE AWAY the ending, that the father was going to die, by listing Tom Skerritt as a "Guest Star" in the opening credits! Ack! One episode was ENOUGH.
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Mixed Messages
[Read the article: Lactivists converge in airports]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I find it ironic that in a culture where mothers are pressured to breastfeed and made to feel like bad mothers if they don't, at the same time, we have this "ick" factor about actually SEEING a mother doing what comes naturally.
Have you seen the ad from the Department of Health and Human Services that shows a pregnant woman clutching her belly as she is thrown off a mechanical bull, as the voice-over intones: "You wouldn't take risks before your baby's born. Why start after?"
Maybe they should spend some of that money educating the general public that breastfeeding a child is not something that needs to be done in a nasty, tiny bathroom or under a filthy airline blanket.
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Avoid Toys R Us etc.
[Read the article: Do I have the right to control how Christmas money is used?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]If you want to buy the kids something and don't want to ask them or their parents what they would like, avoid big box stores and search out a local toy store or bookstore with people who can actually offer some advice on what kids that age would like. Call ahead and ask when a good time would be to come by when they're not swamped and can give you some attention.
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BS
[Read the article: Big Apple no longer Fat City]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You most certainly can tell a taste and texture difference between various types of fats. I personally like things fried in peanut oil. But you can't just substitute a liquid oil for a solid fat, like shortening or butter or lard, in baked goods. I don't eat baked goods for my health. I could tell the difference when the took the trans fat out of Oreos. They're just not as good as they used to be. The best substitution for shortening in those types of foods is going to be saturated fats like butter and lard -- marginally better for you than trans fats, but still hardly health food.
I was amazed when CBS Evening News did a story on the proposed ban and they were out there talking to restaurant owners about the lard they use. Guess what, lard (unless it's been hydrogenated) is NOT a trans fat! Saturated, yes, and not very good for you either, but not affected by the NYC ban.
I could go along with the smoking ban because you're protecting nonsmokers and the restaurant employees from second hand smoke. But if I want to eat some occasional trans fat, the only person I'm hurting is me. I don't appreciate the government telling me what I can and can't eat. That's a personal choice.
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We're not talking just "overweight" here...
[Read the article: No adoption for you]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As someone who is medically obese and a parent of a 4-year-old, I have to say I actually can see a reason for the BMI standard. A BMI of 40 is not just overweight, not just unhealthy; it's obese to the point that you are going to have a hard time keeping up with a kid. My sister, who just turned 40 and is considering adoption, is definitely past the 40 point, and when I see her struggle to negotiate a flight of stairs, I wonder how on earth she will cope with a small child. That may sound mean, but I don't think she truly understands, from her short visits with her niece, how physically demanding raising a child can be.
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Amnio
[Read the article: The great stem-cell search]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]So it's better to get stem cells from amniocentesis, which carries an increased risk of miscarriage of a fetus, than from embryos that were going to be thrown out anyway??!!