This is in response to Janet Page's letter "Skyrocketing gas prices halt travel" (SN 5/18). Three words: quit yer whinin'! Some of us travel more than 1,800 miles a year for leisure and work and have no plans on stopping as gas prices fluctuate but steadily increase faster than the admissions grade-point average into the Eli Broad College of Business.
Robert McFadden's complaint about a mathematics professor (Nazarov) who gives low grades ("Profs to blame for low test scores," SN 5/17) shows how uninformed many students are about their own mathematical abilities.
Who is holding the smoking gun responsible for regular, unleaded self-serve gas prices topping $2.009 per gallon? President Bush says that if his energy bill had passed three years ago, we wouldn't be in this mess.
Americans today detest inconvenience. In fact, in recent years we, as a nation, have become addicted to the sort of commercialism that depicts someone with the ability to drive an elephant-sized sport utility vehicle, talk on a microscopic cell phone, drink a double grande machiato with no foam, and order a super-sized drive-thru meal with a diet Coke all while using a Palm Pilot to order the latest pair of cargo pants from the Gap. Is this simply a revolution in multitasking, or have the intentions of convenience become the vehicle for a less-than-convenient lifestyle? It seems that with every new convenience innovation, the time allotted for normal everyday tasks diminishes. With the capability to conference call while flying first class to Beijing to seal the deal, employers today allow less time and/or leniency to their on-the-go employees.
While reading the letter to the editor, "Mayo robbery article should have said race" (SN 4/30), I was surprised to learn that State News policy prohibits the publication of race in a criminal act.
What is it about May 17 that makes it host to triumph over civil rights struggles? On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled the "separate but equal" facilities of segregated public schools were unjust.
Each year we travel about 1,800 miles, but seeing that gas companies keep moving gas prices up, I and most of the people I know are not planning to travel outside of Michigan - or outside of town.
In the realm of popular culture, certain axioms repeat their validity as the years roll on. Young people will celebrate the styles and fashions of 20 years previous in an attempt to create unique identities.
This is in response to the State News, front page article "Risk vs.
What a cop out, what a crock: Editor's note: It is the practice of The State News to not identify the race of accused, at-large suspects unless other descriptive factors exist that will narrow down the list of suspects substantially.
Could (MSU President M. Peter) McPherson possibly have worse timing? On a day dedicated to celebration for the graduating seniors and their friends and family, our esteemed president has to steal the limelight by announcing plans for his retirement at the university's convocation ceremony.
The old saying goes, "don't do the crime if you can't do the time." Or is it, "don't do the crime if you think you might get caught?" Or better yet, "don't get caught doing something stupid if you don't know the consequences." The Recording Industry of America is making an example of nine accused MSU students who they say chose to share copyrighted music using the university network. The university was required by a court order to release the names of the students involved to the RIAA. While the school was responsible for locating the identified individuals, they did not take part in their punishment nor did they take the matter any further within the university.
The editorial "Research Bucks" (SN 4/29) reflects several misconceptions about university funding, graduate education and indeed the nature of a university. One, the assertion that "the more numbers divulged, the more sensible the move to Grand Rapids is becoming," is unfounded.
The abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers amounts to nothing less than a human rights disaster. Public outcries for the court martialing and detainment of those who directly participated in the abhorrent acts leads one to believe that the common perception is that the individuals should be held accountable.
I have glanced at two articles recently run in the State News and am appalled at the poor reporting done by your staff.
I just got done reading your article "Students concerned about low graders as final tests approach" (SN 4/30) that my wife showed me.
When George Bush was governor of Texas, the Texan prison system was denounced for sexual abuse and beatings of prisoners.
In light of MSU President M. Peter McPherson's coming departure, we at The State News think it apropos to disclose some of the quirks and idiosyncrasies common to MSU's 19th president. The "M" stands for Melville.
What did you want to be when you grew up? Today, children of progressively younger ages are telling their parents that what they want to be is the opposite sex. On a recent episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," children as young as age five were documented as desiring a sex change operation.