On the End of First-Class Sorting in Springfield
I can see the logic of closing tiny post offices in small communities because the revenue they generate doesn’t pay expenses (“Postmark Hartford?“, November 17, 2011). One could also argue that Saturday delivery is a luxury we can no longer afford.
But this closing would not shut down a money-losing operation. And it would cost jobs in a community that desperately needs them, would contribute to pollution and global warming as mail had to be trucked much farther, and would motivate people to use alternative (electronic) means of communitcation.
Bad idea.
Chris Nye
via Internet
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Penn State Scandal “Nauseating”
Nothing could be more nauseating than a topic like this (see “Fumbled,” November 17, 2011). This scandal absolutely sickens me. There are actually several issues of concern here. First and foremost is the willful and deliberate sexual molestation of children.
Our nation’s youth are already victimized in so many ways by adults in this country. How is it that these warped and perverted “leaders” manipulate their way into positions of power? And once they have such power, use it to force a defenseless person to comply with their pedophile desires? Are there no screens, psychological testing and otherwise, to prevent this from happening?
Secondly, how could such criminal behavior be allowed to go unreported to law enforcement? And why for so long? How could college athletics become so corrupt that nothing—absolutely nothing—will threaten the financial racket it has become?
Thirdly, why is it that university officials are not required to connect the financial dots linking the money taken in by college athletics to the benefits received by the students? Is it because there is no connection?
Finally, it is certainly ironic that former coach Paterno was idolized as “Joe Pa” all these years when he failed the most important duty of any parent: to protect your children. One has to wonder if Mr. Paterno’s behavior would have been any different had one of those victims been his grandchild.
Let us hope that he and his cronies get what they deserve. Let justice be done though the sports programs fall.
Joe Bialek
Cleveland
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More on Imperial Beers
Still loving the beer articles (most recently, “Pursued by the Mad Monk,” November 17, 2011). Just a point to consider: the term “imperial” originally referred specifically to the stouts that the Brits would ship to Russia, especially to the imperial court of the czars. I believe it was Czar Peter who visited London and fell in love with their dark brews, but demanded a stronger version to be sent to him at home. The increased alcohol also helped it survive the journey.
Also, in reference to alcohol content, check out Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project. They do a “Once Upon a Time” series where they exactly recreate beers from the turn of the last century, and some of them are stronger and hoppier than even those IPAs et al. are today. Interesting stuff.
Wesley DeSantis
Cooper’s Corner
Florence
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Those Under 30 Most at Risk for AIDS
After 30 years of AIDS, people under 30 face greatest risk.
People who weren’t yet born when AIDS first emerged are today most at risk for becoming HIV positive—an alarming development that underscores how essential awareness is, especially as we approach World AIDS Day Dec. 1.
From 2006 to 2009, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the HIV incidence rate for Americans between 13 and 29 years old increased by about 21 percent. In fact, most of the new HIV infections reported in this country involve people under 30.
Americans under 30 have never known a world without AIDS. At the same time, they’ve never really known a time when effective treatment for HIV and AIDS wasn’t available.
This hasn’t always been the case. As this disease turns 30, we need to ensure that people—especially younger people—remain aware of AIDS and how to prevent it.
Lack of awareness is one of the biggest challenges we face when trying to prevent AIDS. After 30 years of addressing what was once considered one of America’s most pressing health problems, AIDS is no longer front-page news.
On this World AIDS Day, let’s not forget that about 56,000 Americans become infected with HIV each year, according to the CDC, and that more than 14,000 Americans with AIDS die each year.
Thanks to more effective and more available treatments, more Americans who have HIV and AIDS are able to live. The CDC estimates this number at more than 1 million nationwide.
Regularly testing people most at risk for HIV—and then providing antiretroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS patients—dramatically reduces the number of new infections.
Preventing HIV is not complicated. If you’re sexually active, get tested. Don’t use IV drugs or share needles. Abstain or practice safer sex. With preventive care, patients and their health care providers can fight and manage this disease and slow its spread.
But we can’t allow today’s more effective treatments to make us complacent or ambivalent, or to lessen our resolve to find a cure.
To learn more or to find a place near you to get tested, visit www.actagainstaids.org.
Sam Ho, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
UnitedHealthcare
