Letters.

WE'VE GOT MAIL!

Readers Relate

I really enjoyed "What Almost Dying Taught Me About Living" [O/N '02]. I can relate very much. I have leukemia too. It's changed my whole life around. My hair is finally growing back, and I spike it up now.

--Sarah

Thanks for "What Almost Dying Taught Me About Living." It's amazing Taryn bounced back and recovered. My younger cousin had leukemia and survived, but my older cousin had another form of cancer and didn't make it. Now, I know what my cousins went through.

--Amanda

Hey Good Lookin'

I love "Yes! You Can Love Your Looks!" [O/N '02]. Before, I felt low on myself. After reading it, I keep my head up high and don't think of what anybody else says about how I look!

--A reader

I'm built like Amanda in "Yes! You Can Love Your Looks!" so she's a great role model for me. After reading the article, I love and appreciate my body. I used to think I was fat. When I reach high school, I'll probably be able to play field hockey and basketball.

--Lindsey

You publish an article on loving the way you look, sending the message that everyone is great in their own way--but then you put a skinny, beautiful, perfectly dressed model on the cover. What about girls with glasses, freckles or braces? I think that is unfair.

--Julia

Thanks for the article "Yes! You Can Love Your Looks!" I really felt ugly and hated my looks. Your article has made me feel more secure about myself.

--A reader

Star Power

Thank you for having Emma Watson [GL Spotlight, O/N '02]. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. Thanks for putting in a girl just like us that we can relate to.

--Sara

Thank you for putting Aaron Carter in your magazine [GL Cutie of the Month, O/N '02]. He's finally getting the respect he deserves as a musician. Plus, he's really hot and the same age as I am! Thanks for making my day.

--Alison

Sex Ed 101

Two thumbs up for saying what girls need to hear. I've read those "bubble gum" magazines, and they all say to have sex when you're ready. You say it like it is--we should wait until marriage. I wear a purity ring to promise I'll wait. When I explain to my friends that they should wait, they just laugh and say it's stupid. I'm glad there is a magazine that supports good values in real life.

--Taryn

I am really glad you guys did an article on sex ed. As embarrassing as the subject matter is, it's important to know about stuff that can make you become sick or even pregnant. I showed my mom the article, and she was glad that kind of stuff was written.

--Nicole

One Time at Band Camp...

I read "Beauty and the Band Geek" [O/N '02]. Overall, I like it. But I'm what this author refers to as a "band geek," and I take offense. Being in a marching band does not make someone a total geek.

--A reader

The View

Thanks for "A Room With a View" [O/N '02]. My dad and I are going to redecorate my room soon, and it gave us some great ideas.

--Kim

'Nuff Stuff I really like "Puppy Love" [Short Stuff, O/N '02]. It makes me and my sister think about what we really want for Christmas. We went to the Web site, and it's amazing.

--Liz

It's great that you acknowledge The Disney Channel. Some people say it's immature, but The Scream Team is sure to be a hit!

--Clara

READER LETTER OF THE MONTH

In the o/N ['02] issue, why did you put in an article on sex ed? I asked my mom what that was, and she told me. I don't think I was ready for that. I'm only 11!

--A reader

We got a ton of supportive letters (see just a few of them above) in response to "Fight For Your Right...to Sex Ed," but we just couldn't resist this reader's self-portrait. Our intent certainly wasn't to freak anyone out, but to address an important topic. We hope many girls used our article as a springboard into their own discussions.

--Karen

MySQL

The database used for storing Hawk's data is MySQL. Hawk was originally written using MySQL 3.23, but since the database requirements are minimal, you can probably get away with older versions, and certainly newer ones. Before the Perl backend and PHP frontend can communicate with the database, you must create the appropriate database and table to store the data. Next, you need to create a database user to allow read and write access to the data from the scripts. Connect to the database as follows: