PUBLIC FORUM : THE THREAT IS OVERPOPULATION, NOT WARMING.Academia nuts Academia Nuts is a daily comic strip by Huw Williams that was published in the Purdue Exponent. Set at Purdue University, the strip centers around graduate students Ed and Kathy, and pokes fun at Purdue institutions and college life generally. keep coming up with nonsense theories about how to cure the world's ills, trying to justify their jobs. They encourage well-intentioned but misinformed activists to back misdirected causes. The global warming global warming, the gradual increase of the temperature of the earth's lower atmosphere as a result of the increase in greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution. Kyoto (treaty) fiasco does not address the fundamental problem of overpopulation overpopulation Situation in which the number of individuals of a given species exceeds the number that its environment can sustain. Possible consequences are environmental deterioration, impaired quality of life, and a population crash (sudden reduction in numbers caused by . There is no way the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. can cut back emissions without stopping the rampant illegal immigration population explosion. These immigrants with their huge families will drive the U.S. population over 500 million by mid-century, greater than that of India in 1970. We cannot imagine how poor the quality of life of our grandchildren will be. Each child brings on additional emissions. China's harsh population control is a little too late. The United States is rapidly declining into the Third World. The emissions from China, India and other undeveloped nations will swamp those of the developed nations. - William E. Ross Woodland Hills Storing nuclear waste In regard to Sen. Pete V. Domenici's article (``Stop the hysteria over nuclear technology,'' Opinions, Feb. 12): Domenici claims that there is ``an increasingly desperate need in our country for low-level waste low-level waste Low-level radioactive waste A specific form of man-made radioactive waste for which there is reasonable assurance that public exposure–should it occur, presents only a fraction of the current dose limits. See Plutonium, Radioactive waste. repositories.'' This is not the case because a dump in South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. takes nuclear waste from across the country, as does a new dump in Utah. There also have been such advances in waste compaction technology that any new ``low-level'' dump would have to become a national dump in order to make any money due to the reduced volume of this waste. Claims about a so-called crisis for medical and research waste is a ploy to distract attention from the large nuclear utilities that want to get rid of their long-lived radioactive waste and have state taxpayers pick up the liability for damages from this waste. - Bruce Campbell Los Angeles Subsidized TV? Here we go again. Why has Assemblyman Jack Scott deemed cable television a God-given right of the elderly and poor? In ``Law sought to cut costs of cable TV,'' Daily News, Feb. 18, Scott says his pending measure, AB 1893, includes fees to subsidize cable TV service for the aforementioned groups. What next? How much is the consumer supposed to bear in subsidies of nonessential non·es·sen·tial adj. Being a substance required for normal functioning but not needed in the diet because the body can synthesize it. services? Let us please elect people who consider all of their constituents and not just a vocal minority. - Richard von Kummer Valley Village `Lone legislator' Re ``McClintock relishes role as lone legislator,'' Feb. 9: I applaud Assemblyman Tom McClintock's efforts to stand up for what is right and not play party politics. It is refreshing to read about a politician who has the integrity to stand by his principles. There are so many issues that need to be addressed, but unfortunately many legislators do not have the courage to do so. We need more leaders like McClintock, who can carry forth with a vision of what the people want and not let bureaucrats impede this vision. - Sydelle Rothstein Chatsworth Chemical weapons Many other countries have a chemical weapons capability. Does President Clinton plan to bomb them all? If not, why make Iraq a killing ground? For seven years Saddam has shown no desire for conquest. If and when he does, our weapons can turn him into toast. President Clinton's spokesmen are comparing him to Adolf Hitler in an effort to gain popular support for his Iraq attack. The only people who believe that ludicrous comparison are those who can't read without moving their lips. Saddam is not a threat that cannot be contained. This could change if Clinton's attack plan goes forward. This could ignite massive retaliation launched from something as mundane as a suitcase. - Ray Ginter Simi Valley Valley transit zone Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. member Richard Alarcon states
``seamless'' travel would be a priority for any Valley transit
zone (``Transit zone could be key to timely solution,''
Viewpoint, Feb. 15).
At the moment the only zone in the county, Foothill, isn't seamless. Foothill passes aren't good on MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. buses. If the San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of southern California. It lies to the east of the city of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and to the west of the Inland Empire. was unable to provide seamless travel, then I wonder why Mr. Alarcon believes somehow he can perform this miracle? - Dana Gabbard President Southern California Transit Advocates Los Angeles Domestic `appeasement' Unfortunately for us all, being ``safe'' has become more important than being brave in our Los Angeles-area police departments. Witness as an example the numerous televised car chases whereby cops paralyzed par·a·lyze tr.v. par·a·lyzed, par·a·lyz·ing, par·a·lyz·es 1. To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic. 2. To make unable to move or act: paralyzed by fear. by fear do nothing until the criminal tires of his rampage, at which point highways are blocked, chests are puffed and teeth are bared against the very people whose rights needed protection. As this domestic policy of appeasement appeasement Foreign policy of pacifying an aggrieved nation through negotiation in order to prevent war. The prime example is Britain's policy toward Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany in the 1930s. continues, criminals can't help but gain new-found confidence and a false sense of power, making them more bold and dangerous, which can help explain why ``well-lighted street corners'' are no longer safe havens. With all the latent guilt feelings surrounding past incidents of police brutality, the proliferation of sue-happy lawyers and unprincipled politicians and their appointees who legislate timidity, it is doubtful that Los Angeles will have the guts anytime soon to end the terroristic reign of anarchy by fearless street thugs. - James P. Koy Los Angeles Olympic moments Re the Olympics and English: With admiration and envy I hear the athletes from the four corners of the world, and sometimes of almost unknown countries, speak fluent and faultless fault·less adj. Being without fault. See Synonyms at perfect. fault  less·ly adv. English.
I know people who have lived 17 and more years here, taken advantage of all facilities for free and haven't learned one word of English, despite costly and useless bilingual education and the fact that high schools teach evening courses for free. - Kurt Bukofzer Pacific Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). Teacher rebutted In response to ``Wilson and teachers,'' Public Forum, Jan. 16, by Michael Helwig. As a parent I have no confusion regarding the meanings of standardized test score results, or who is responsible for low test scores. The standardized tests are in alignment with the tests used nationally, and there is no acceptable reason why our students within the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. should not be scoring on a level comparable to those achieved in other areas of the country. It is the responsibility of those persons we pay to provide our students with the skills necessary to achieve those scores. - Robert J. Edwards Arleta Testing in English These are additional letters on Saturday's Public Forum topic: the opposition of Superintendent Ruben Zacarias and the Los Angeles Board of Education to a state law requiring the testing of nearly all pupils in English. Zacarias' perspective that ``fairness'' in state education tests requires testing immigrant children in their native language defies common sense and flies in the face of all naturalized nat·u·ral·ize v. nat·u·ral·ized, nat·u·ral·iz·ing, nat·u·ral·iz·es v.tr. 1. To grant full citizenship to (one of foreign birth). 2. To adopt (something foreign) into general use. Americans who have made the necessary effort to embrace English. If our forefathers forefathers npl → antepasados mpl forefathers npl → ancêtres mpl forefathers npl → Vorfahren maintained this ethnocentric eth·no·cen·trism n. 1. Belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group. 2. Overriding concern with race. eth attitude during the great waves of European immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. , our country would have had no medium of communication and hence no unity to create and sustain the great nation we live in today. It may be easier for new immigrant populations to rest on their present language laurels; however, the very least they owe to their new land and fellow Americans is making the effort to socially harmonize, the least common denominator least common denominator n. Abbr. lcd The least common multiple of the denominators of a set of fractions: The least common denominator of 1/3 and 1/4 is 12. of which is speaking the common language. Immigrant children without English skills must rise to this challenge if we are to have a unified society, rather than a linguistic and cultural piecemeal nation like the former Yugoslavia, the consequences of which we have sadly witnessed. Their test scores may temporarily lag before they have achieved fluency, yet the cohesion achieved by their immediate English acquisition, encouraged and bolstered by English-only tests, must be the priority for the greater good. Let's stay unified and resist political efforts which would only serve to fracture our diverse ethnic populations. Let's keep the ``united'' truly meaningful and accurate in our United States of America UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The name of this country. The United States, now thirty-one in number, are Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, . - Daela Kornarens La Canada Flintridge English is the language of this country. If the LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) is unable to teach in English, it tells us how sorry the system is. I have lived for extended periods in several countries and done business for more than 30 years with over 130 countries. Not one - repeat, not one - offers an alternative to the native language in its schools. Your children learn in the country's language, period. What's interesting is that those children learn the new language in a very short time. They quickly become translators for those parents who are too lazy to bother with another language. And I am not aware of one that allows illegal aliens to stay in the country and rewards them for doing so. - Edwin Koblentz West Hills |
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