PUBLIC FORUM : LOOKING FOR A HERO? TRY SHANNON LUCID.I have never written to a newspaper, a television studio, a politician, a lawyer, a magazine or a celebrity but I would really like to write to astronaut astronaut, crew member on a U.S. manned spaceflight mission; the Soviet term is cosmonaut. Candidates for manned spaceflight are carefully screened to meet the highest physical and mental standards, and they undergo rigorous training. Shannon Lucid Shannon Matilda Wells Lucid (born January 14, 1943) is an American astronaut who previously held the record for the longest duration stay in space by a woman. She has flown in space five times including a prolonged mission aboard the Mir space station. and express my thanks for her example of what a difference a positive attitude can make. Take a look at the length of her original mission and how she handled the news of each additional delay - with a smile. No whining. No complaining. And with the eyes of the world on the space station Mir, she has single-handedly raised the level of respect for women in the space program throughout the world. She hasn't done so for the fame and media attention - she does it because it's her job, and she enjoys it. Her modesty, work ethic work ethic n. A set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. work ethic Noun a belief in the moral value of work and outstanding personality are very much appreciated and have inspired hope and faith in modern-day heroes. Shannon, you are a hero to me. - Knikki Jacobsmeyer West Hills Violence and sex John Bacos in ``Hollywood sex and violence - boycott is only answer,'' (Opinions, Sept. 19), was right on when he stated that the filmmakers' purpose is to make money. Why else would they go to all that work and effort and expense? What really frightens me is the very fact that they do make so much money from the violence and sex. People are more than willing to part with their money to see trash. I checked your ads for the movies and they were a prime example of what was stated in the article regarding the need to put the two together in such a visual manner. The one area I would take exception to was the statement that the older generation was not affected by the violence and sex. ``Study finds abuse, neglect of kids nearly doubled in 7-year period'' on Page 21 is evidence to me that we are being affected, the result being a reduced regard for life and impaired ability to care for our young and others. It is a sad and violent world we are living in. - Iris Mears Granada Hills Defense of Marriage Act Robert Steinbach's column ``Unholy alliances  This page is currently protected from editing until disputes have been resolved. ,''
(Opinions, Sept. 20) regarding the misnomered Defense of Marriage Act is
a fine piece of humor humor, according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was and allows us to reflect on the real source of
opposition to same-sex marriages Noun 1. same-sex marriage - two people of the same sex who live together as a family; "the legal status of same-sex marriages has been hotly debated"couple, twosome, duet, duo - a pair who associate with one another; "the engaged couple"; "an inseparable . Although long-term, same-sex relationships have been recorded throughout history, the belief that these were deviant or unusual is quite recent. It was an obscure Hungarian physician, Karoly Benkert, who first coined and used ``homosexuality'' in 1869 to express this belief and it was though Havelock Ellis Henry Havelock Ellis (February 2, 1859 - July 8, 1939), known as Havelock Ellis, was a British doctor, sexual psychologist and social reformer. Biography Early Life , an English sexologist of the late 19th century, that it came into English. Prior to this, cultural responses to same-sex relationships varied but were generally not condemnatory. So, what's the problem? Perhaps it has to do with our addiction to stereotypical thinking and prejudice. Maybe it has to do with our addiction to authoritarianism. It obviously has nothing to do with reality. Think about that the next time you hear someone condemn ``homosexuals'' for the problems of American society. Consider how easy it is to blame someone else for very complex and confusing problems. Legal marriage for gay men and lesbians will no more destroy the ``American way The American way of life is an expression that refers to the "life style" of people living in the United States of America. It is an example of a behavioral modality, developed from the 17th century until today. of life'' than did jet air travel or microwave ovens. Live and let live, I say. - Robert B. Harris Lancaster Katz rebutted Re ``Katz, police unite on handgun issue,'' (Daily News, Sept. 19), on making it a felony to carry a concealed weapon concealed weapon n. a weapon, particularly a handgun, which is kept hidden on one's person, or under one's control (in a glove compartment or under a car seat). . I have to take pause and wonder about Assemblyman as·sem·bly·man n. A man who is a member of a legislative assembly. assemblyman Noun pl -men a member of a legislative assembly Noun 1. Richard Katz's real motives here. First of all, there are numerous laws already on the books to give the police more than ample ammunition to ``lock up gun-toting crooks,'' as Katz refers to them. Katz, as we all know, is a gun-control nut whose main objective, any time he opens his mouth on this issue, is to ultimately disarm all Americans. For this reason I find his motives extremely suspect. Secondly, if I were a conspiracy theorist I would wonder if Katz is simply trying to eliminate his, and other Democrats' political competition one member at a time, since the vast majority of law-abiding Americans who would be likely to carry a gun to protect themselves or their families are Republicans. By the way: For those who wish to disregard my letter as ``coming from another of them NRA NRA (National Rifle Association of America) organization that encourages sharpshooting and use of firearms for hunting. [Am. Pop. Culture: NCE, 1895] See : Hunting wackos,'' permit me to say that I am not a member of the National Rifle Association National Rifle Association (NRA) Governing organization for the sport of shooting with rifles and pistols. It was founded in Britain in 1860. The U.S. organization, formed in 1871, has a membership of some four million. Both the British and the U.S. nor do I own a gun. I simply believe in the right of any law-abiding citizen to have a fighting chance one dependent upon the issue of a struggle. See also: Fighting at survival out there. - Rod Wallace
Studio City Bad medicine Re ``HMOs aim to kill ballot measures'' (Daily News, Sept. 1): Propositions 214 and 216 are being opposed by a wide range of groups, including nurses, physicians, ethnic groups, women's groups, business groups and seniors, in addition to the health-care industry. The reason is simple. Both initiatives are bad public policy and if not defeated, all Californians will feel the negative effects. The California Chamber of Commerce opposes Propositions 214 and 216 because health-care costs for California businesses would sharply increase without any improvement in quality of, or access to, health care. Barents Group, the economic forecasting economic forecasting Prediction of future economic activity and developments. Economic forecasts, which range from a few weeks to many years, are widely used in business and government to help formulate policy and strategy. arm of KPMG KPMG Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (accounting firm) KPMG Kaiser Permanente Medical Group KPMG Keiner Prüft Mehr Genau (German) KPMG Kommen Prüfen Meckern Gehen Peat Marwick, analyzed the initiatives and found that on average premiums for employers could increase up to 14.5 percent, costing business nearly $3 billion a year. This means that many small businesses, already operating on thin margins, could be forced into the unpleasant situation of discontinuing health insurance benefits to their employees. How can this possibly be construed as a positive step toward health-care reform? Propositions 214 and 216 will not deliver real health-care reform. What they will deliver is higher costs, bigger government bureaucracies and special interest agendas that will do nothing for Californians other than increase the cost of their health care. - Kirk West, Co-chair Taxpayers Against Higher Health Costs No on Propositions 214 & 216 Sacramento CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Astronaut Shannon Lucid will return to Earth this we ek. |
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