COMMENTARY

Learning language eases international experience

I wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading the "Benefits of speech" (SN 6/21) column by Jennifer Burstein.

COMMENTARY

Revealing photographs don't objectify females

Not only are Lydia Weiss' and Janice Bukovac-Phelps' comments in "Sex appeal for sale" (SN 6/20) ridiculous, they evince the terrible lack of thought put into the issue by a lot of society and especially groups who should know better.

COMMENTARY

Arguments against being vaccinated unconvincing

Jennifer Boettner's letter "Choice should be key factor in vaccinations" (SN 6/15) pulls all of the regular conspiracy theorist's tricks.

COMMENTARY

Benefits of speech

As a foreign language major, I am often on the defensive against statements like "There's so much to see in the United States.

COMMENTARY

Links between vaccines and autism not present

In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield conducted a study of 12 children with autism and certain gastroenteric problems.

COMMENTARY

Bar's closing signals advance of corporations

East Lansing has lost one of its prized landmarks. Spartan Sports Den, formerly 1227 E. Grand River Ave., recently closed with no public notice other than a sign planted on its front lawn, stating the restaurant will soon become another location for restaurant chain Los Quatros Amigos.

COMMENTARY

Granholm must earn higher approval

With Michigan's slippery economic slope, someone has to take the fall. The easiest face to attach to the state's burdens: Gov.

COMMENTARY

Chemicals used in some vaccines linked to autism

As a parent of a child who is nearly recovered from autism, I was appalled by Kristin Horner's letter, "Professional journals aid scientific understanding" (SN 6/19), which includes scathing criticism of Dr. David Ayoub, and his hard work and dedication to families affected by autism. I am left to wonder what would motivate a graduate student studying anthropology to pen a letter about a subject in which she has no apparent expertise. The evidence linking the mercury-based vaccine preservative Thimerosal to autism is extensive. All one has to do is read the Material Safety Data Sheet, or MSDS, for Thimerosal to understand it is a dangerous neurotoxin, capable of causing "severe mental retardation and moderate to severe motor coordination impairment." My own child, who was exposed to amounts of ethylmercury in the form of Thimerosal that exceeded Environmental Protection Agency safe-exposure guidelines by many hundreds of times, has been confirmed mercury toxic, via urinary porphyrin analysis.

COMMENTARY

A part of America

How do you feel when you encounter a Muslim for the first time? Do you ever find yourself wondering why and how they got to the U.S.? What mental picture occurs in the back of your mind?

COMMENTARY

Delay on passport rules necessary

By January 2008, all U.S. citizens were supposed to show a passport to reenter the country by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean.

COMMENTARY

Smoking ban would increase health of public

I am writing to express my concern at your lax approach to research in your recent editorial "Smoking ban infringes on business" (SN 6/14), supporting passive smoke exposure of Michigan residents.

COMMENTARY

Children improve all aspects of parents' lives

The column "Beyond parenting" (SN 6/15) made me cringe. Matt Flint seems extremely upset by people who say having children is the greatest accomplishment of their lives and wonders how anything ever gets done.

COMMENTARY

The city is a canvas

A while back, I was walking down an alley, cutting my way through East Lansing, when I tripped over an angel.

COMMENTARY

Duke prosecutor sets poor precedent

A lot of presuppositions exist regarding lawyers. There are countless jokes and jabs portraying them as liars and cheats, meant to be taken as half-jokes. Michael Nifong, the prosecuting attorney in the case against former members of Duke University lacrosse team, is making it harder to think of these assumptions as jokes. With almost 29 years of prosecuting experience, the Durham County, N.C., district attorney was found guilty Saturday of ethical violations and disbarred.

COMMENTARY

Being a parent does not replace other life goals

In response to "Beyond parenting" (SN 6/15), thanks for the unbiased, male viewpoint of why women have children.

COMMENTARY

Professional journals aid scientific understanding

In David Ayoub's letter, "Vaccination programs not always beneficial" (SN 6/18), he would like the reader to believe he is an unbiased doctor protesting the "one-sided propaganda" surrounding the debate about the safety of vaccines.

COMMENTARY

Vaccination programs not always beneficial

Roxanne Dewyer's column "Responsible remedy" (SN 6/13), cannot discuss the issue of vaccine safety fairly without speaking to researchers and physicians who hold the opposite opinion.

COMMENTARY

Sports play important role in community pride

In "Athletic priorities," (SN 6/14), Drew Winter argued for the irrelevance of sports, also saying every fan is simply wasting their time following teams full of "steroid-laden strangers sweating their way to artificial glory." As a student, nothing feels better than watching your chemistry lab partner plant a Spartans flag at the 50-yard line in South Bend, Ind.

COMMENTARY

New tax renews hope for businesses

Michigan finally has a replacement for the controversial Single Business Tax, or SBT, and the change looks to be a step in the right direction. State lawmakers from both political parties worked together to craft the Michigan Business Tax, or MBT.

COMMENTARY

Quit acting trashy

Espresso Royale Caffe, the friendly neighborhood coffee shop facing campus on East Grand River Avenue, just announced it will start carrying environmentally friendly plastic cups made from a biodegradable, corn-based biopolymer. This means the cups will break down like any other plant, and you can even compost them yourself. The café also will start providing paper cups made from recycled paper.