Letters to the Editor
Wear a Helmet
On Labor Day I was biking in Marlborough when I was knocked off the bike by the side view mirror of a truck. I was thrown about ten feet and fell on my back and head. The bike helmet was broken in two places, and aside from assorted bruises and scrapes, I sustained a concussion and a small hairline fracture of my coccyx.
I have no memory of the accident, only that I was biking and next woke up in an ambulance that took me to the trauma center at UMass Medical Center in Worcester. I was completely CAT scanned from head to toe, including being injected with a dye to detect internal broken blood vessels. They kept me nine hours for observation but I was released without an overnight stay. If not for the bike helmet, I think I would be either dead or a vegetable.
The point of this message is to implore all of you who bike to please wear a helmet. I see too many people riding bareheaded. Even a trip of one or two blocks can result in a fall and a severe head injury. Your brains are your most important resource. Please don’t waste them.
Professor, Department of Chemistry
YouTomb Follow Up
I read your article on the Blackwell Police Department dash cam video that was taken down by YouTube due to threats made by the city attorney regarding copyright. I represent two citizens who were manhandled by the Blackwell Police Department. We have filed suit in Kay County, OK. The young man that was victimized by the police came to me some months ago and provided a copy of the tape.
In pursuing the lawsuit against the Police Department, I specifically asked about the copyright policy and procedure of the city of Blackwell. The City admitted they had no copyright policy and that the video, in fact, was not copyrighted. They just wanted it off YouTube due to the publicity.
The City has now instituted a new policy that they will not comply with open records requests for dash cam videos without a court order. I have the original cd (from the police department) of the dash cam incident you speak of.
Ponca City, OK
Miffed at Oral Piece
I’m writing in response to a recent article in our lovely campus newspaper that managed to both appall and insult me. I refer to “Talk Nerdy To Me,” written by Christine Yu for the Sept. 9, 2008 issue, and while I understand (and pray and hope) that this was written for comedic effect, I fear that some will actually take the advice given in the article.
“… I don’t believe anyone actually practices ‘safe’ oral sex. Might as well resign yourself to a life of herpes …” Actually, there’s something called interpersonal communication. Ladies, if you’re going to be putting anyone’s dick in your mouth, please be sure to ask them first, “Excuse me, but do you have any STDs?” The miracles of modern science make it very easy to get tested for STDs. MIT Medical will do it, and it’s confidential, so no one ever has to know that you even got tested. Anyone who deserves a blowjob is man enough to know whether or not he has STDs. Really, resigning yourself to herpes is not the answer.
“I mean, will you kiss a girl after they’ve done it? Usually not.” This is the point that disturbs me the most. If a guy won’t kiss you after you’ve just placed your hot, wet mouth all over his undeserving penis, then you might as well resign yourself to a life of constantly claiming that you burned his dinner and you deserved to fall down the stairs. A guy who is that queasy about his own bodily juices shouldn’t be getting a blowjob in the first place.
Finally, this article was supposed to be about oral sex. Instead, it was predominantly about fellatio. What about cunnilingus? The article fails to address 50 percent of its subject material. A well-lubricated woman can lead to just as many messes and inconveniences as an inconsiderate man. And don’t forget: once a month, women bleed.
Hamster Wheels?
On a recent visit to MIT, I noticed those working out at the gym across from La Sala de Puerto Rico. All that energy output, with mere sweat and muscles as a result. Maybe some of those on the treadmill might figure out how to hook up all that exercise equipment to generators to power the building. What a fun product could be developed for use in gyms, and in basements all over the land. You could elevate those stationary bikes on the floors above the pool from the pointless spinning of wheels to reducing carbon emissions and electric bills. Visualize a plug-in car, powered by electricity you generated yourself during a morning workout. Home made juice!
Newton, MA