Letters to the Editor
Rowyna
Published Letters: 105 Editor's Choice: 36
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don't be a hater
[Read the article: Nothing says "hip" like the Oxygen channel]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]No, seriously, coffee just came straight out my nose I laughed so hard.
You know what? I kind of like a network that is targeted at guys AND ladies... (actually, thats a lie. I like the sci-fi network. A network specifically targeted at geeks...)
But whats with O? I'd rather watch the losers on the Wedding Channel than another "empowerment" special with turns of phrase like "don't be a hater".
Theres not enough irony in the world to get me to watch O. Its a network for fans of Oprah, aka the 50+ crowd.
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rental figures
[Read the article: Overbuilt America]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Are there also more people looking for rental properties? I'm kind of curious. Given the apparently high number of "risky" people who have had to forclose (actually, a high number of "not so risky" people as well) and now have shot credit ratings, will there be an upturn in the number looking for places to rent now that they can't buy?
And if there are, why are there so many vacant houses? Are they, as a few posters stated above, McMansions? Far from urban work-centers, or simply so large than an individual or young couple would have little interest in renting?
Am I just deluding myself, or is this a great time to buy an investement property and rent it out? (Once that is designed for rent, like a 2/3bdr townhouse).
Anyhow, whats with all those vacant houses? The stats need more of a rundown as far as what TYPE of houses and WHERE.
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the church should STAND for something
[Read the article: No female priests? No problem!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Whats with this wishy-washy pleasing everyone crap? I'm sorry, but either you believe women are equal to men in God's eyes or you don't. No 'we want to keep as many members as possible' out clause. The church (any church) should have a strong ethical and moral code. If certain church members don't like it, they can get out.
Just look at the Catholic church. They think God doesn't want women priests. They think that the hoi poli shouldn't be reading the bible, and that a priest is needed to intercede between God and the 'flock'. They think that birth control is a sin and homosexuality is wrong wrong wrong. They think the Pope is God's rep on earth. Good for them. Its for all those reasons and more that I'm NOT Catholic. Why would I be a member of a church I don't agree with?
For the Anglicans, if they honestly believe in women's equality as an important ethical and moral issue, they should just say "this is how it is." And all the people who don't like who it is can go off and form their own religion. Kind of like how the Anglicans formed their own religion after they got cheesed off about the Pope interfereing with them back in the day.
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excellent insight
[Read the article: Farming wiser, not poorer]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I totally agree that instead of using science to alter the environment/nature we should be using it to understand and work with/get the most out of our environment.
On thing that needs to be said though is that the current system of highly centralized agriculture won't work in a crop rotation cycle. Effective post-industrial agriculture is time and labour intensive. It relies on keeping track of a vast range of variables relating the health of soil and animals. It would require farmers to actually have some sort of scientific background and understanding (I'm not saying there aren't any farmers that have this knowledge/education, only that farming isn't exactly a career that the brightest students are encouraged to get into by their guidance counsellors).
Farming would need to be de-centralized and more people would need to take it up in order for this system to work. That would mean that farming would have to be profitable and respected, in order to attract more people to do it.
Back in the day a huge percentage of Americans were farmers (just think about how many of you can say that one of your grandparents/great-grandparents was a farmer). Now, it is an incredibly small percentage of people producing a massive amount of food. Something needs to address that imbalance before the sort of post-industrial agriculture discussed here can happen.
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book marketing 101
[Read the article: Publishers think women are stupid?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Similar covers are used to identify the books in a particular genre. That's hardly a "conspiracy".
Clearly the marketers at several publishing companies have done some focus groups and found that the market segment who is reading that genre (chick lit) responds well to certain cover images. The "more of the same" comment is a bit bizarre -- of course its more of the same! Its the same genre.
I'm a great reader of sci-fi and fantasy. The former often features a certain set of futuristic fonts and pictures of robots or broken city scapes, in modernist tones. The latter can be identified by a preponderance of giant dragons on the covers.
So, do publishers think readers of sci-fi/fantasy are stupid because the books in that section of the book store happen to bear similar jackets? I mean, come on! Stop taking everything so seriously. Its just book marketing 101.