Letters to the Editor
Rowyna
Published Letters: 105 Editor's Choice: 36
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Balderdash!
[Read the article: America closes the book on intelligence]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This whole concept comes from a long line of older people lamenting the stupidity and increasing unintelligence of youth.
Lots of studies show how today's generation is not as "smart" as their parents. But how do you test that? Many in today’s "dumb" kid generation are able to navigate the web, hook up a computer, and use machines to preform tasks that their parents find difficult if not impossible.
More interesting than the over-done old smarties vs. young dummies is the idea that the nature of intelligence has changed. My parents had to do math sums in their head, or use a slide-rule. Thus, at basic numeracy, they would appear to be "smarter". However, give me a graphing calculator, and I'd definitely blow them away. The sort of intelligence of the old was memorizing facts and figures, because the information was not readily and constantly available. Today's generation can just look it up on their mobile phone if they don't remember something. They've extended their brain into the internet, and so long as they know how to FIND certain information, memorizing it is a waste of space and brain capacity.
Ms. Jacoby's impression of college dorms may be similarly misleading. So students aren't all sitting around discussing things with each other (I'd personally debate her on this because as someone who graduated college only 3 years ago, I remember quite a few 'academic' discussions with friends), maybe they're all on the internet IMing each other to discuss.
I get the impression that Jacoby thinks that because its IM, that means it can only be used to discuss last night's episode of South Park and what party you're going to. Many students read Salon (I started reading it in college), and sit a write messages going out to the world about serious topics. But you know, they aren't engaged in vigorous "discussion" then, are they?
Don't get me wrong, America is full of complete morons. I'm just not convinced it's any more moronic than it ever was.
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Love it!
[Read the article: Narnia in neon]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The HR pufnstuf movie was on a few weeks ago, and provided a few hours of entertainment (didn't realise Mama Cass was in it!)
I never watched it as a child, but it sure was a fun way to spend Sunday afternoon as a 25 year-old :)
I just hope that the fun classics from my childhood like Labyrinth and Dark Crystal don't get replaced with some lame politically correct computer-animated dinosaur or something.
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Seeing the other side of things
[Read the article: Wal-Mart can be good for your health]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I believe that quick medical clinics only work if you have a regular primary care physician who looks after you and is aware of all the treatments you are recieving at these 'quick' clinics.
An important part of medical practice is seeing the total picture. If you go to a different doctor everytime you develop a symptom, you may be missing the bigger portrait of symptoms that you have. If you go to a different doctor everytime you need a routine mediciation (birth control, flu shot, antibiotics) you may end up with some nasty interactions. Not to mention, these clincs don't have your complete medical history or a list of what you're allergic to.
With wal-mart you get what you pay for. And to go with the mechanic anology of an above poster -- I'm more than happy taking my bomb of a car to jiffy lube instead of the dealership for an oil change. I'm NOT so happy taking my BODY (of which I only get one) to the jiffy-lube of doctors.
For flu shots and checking my blood pressure, I wouldn't mind a walk-in clinic, but anything else, I'll go to a real doctor thanks.
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In the old days...
[Read the article: Female trouble]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]In the "old days" women tended to be pregnant for most of their childbearing years. Fibroids are prevented from forming, or those that have formed often shrink, when a woman becomes pregnant.
I'm not saying we should all go out and get knocked up, as obviously this isn't a solution that would fit with most people's lifestyle now-a-days (I don't know about you, but I don't need 10 kids to run the farm or whatever). But yeah, in the past, there were probably a) more painful conditions that women had to worry about and b) more likelyhood you'd just be preggo so wouldn't have fibroids (just a giant freaking featus in you).
I'm 25 and had sudden heavy bleeding that lasted for over a month. It was hard to get in to see a doctor, and when I did see (several) none of them seemed to have a clue what was going on. It is completely unsuprising to me that so much ovarian cancer and the like doesn't get diagnosed, because doctors don't seem to have a clue about 'down there'.
Doctors in general seem to treat women who come in with painful heavy menstration as 'whingers'. Like we want more attention for bleeding, and really its not that bad.
Obviously thats what happens when most doctors are men. They are, on the whole, clueless about what 'heavy menstration' means, until their patient passes out from anemia and whoops, turns out I really WAS bleeding too much.
If anyone is suffering from mild fibroid symptoms, I'd suggest taking birth control continuously. It stops you getting your period, which isn't necessary unless you want to get preggo anyhow, and hey if you're preggo its ALSO not a problem.
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everyone always thinks they got the raw deal...
[Read the article: Canada's ferocious NAFTA growl]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Oh goodness, everyone always whinges about how they got the raw end of the NAFTA deal, don't they?
Americans whinge about the mexicans stealing their jobs, Canadians whinge about americans stealing their resources, I have no idea what the Mexicans whinge about, but by God, I bet its SOMETHING.
I just wonder how the Canada/US oil exports are going now that the Canadian dollar is worth the same if not more than the greenback.
And honestly, all this 'America could just take over' nonsense. Whats with that? If America ever went to war with Canada, half the northern states would just defect to Canada. I'm ready to defect even without a war.
Maple syrup. Yum.