The letter I copied above, must not have been read too recently! I kept reading it and thinking--"I don't think ACORN is doing the Census since there are several controversies they are involved in that have called them in to a questionable status." Here's what I found: "The Census Director has sent a letter to the National Headquarters of ACORN notifying the group that the Census Bureau is severing all ties with the community organizing group for all work having to do with the 2010 census. "Over the last several months, through ongoing communication with our regional offices, it is clear that ACORN's affiliation with the 2010 Census promotion has caused sufficient concern in the general public, has indeed become a distraction from our mission, and may even become a discouragement to public cooperation, negatively impacting 2010 Census efforts," read a letter from Census Director Robert M. Groves to the president of ACORN. "Unfortunately, we no longer have confidence that our national partnership agreement is being effectively managed through your many local offices. For the reasons stated, we therefore have decided to terminate the partnership," the letter said. The news follows the firing Friday of two more ACORN employees after new hidden-camera footage showed workers for the group advising a couple posing as a pimp and prostitute how to subvert the law." I thought so! Okay--now that's taken care of, what next? :o)

Fluoride is a carcinogen. No one denies this. Its risk of lethality is vanishingly small. The issue surrounding fluoridation of the public water supply is one of cost:benefit for the population at large. Personally, I come down on the side of mass-fluoridation but it seems to me one of the (few) public health issues where reasonable minds can disagree. This said after a lot of careful study of the problem. Since in the case mentioned by Pamela legislation isn't suggested, or mass-forcing of elders to install induction cooktops, the comparison isn't really apt. Learning about the safety benefits of the appliance, in particular conjunction with the needs of elders, is basically just a win-win situation (especially for the manufacturers! ;) ). And thanks, pamela, for pointing out this issue of fire-hazards. I hadn't realized it was so big. Frankly, I am guessing many of us middle-aged sorts on this forum are just beginning to learn about the issues surrounding our aging parents. Linking them to more plebeian issues of consumerism is an eye-opener. And for those of you beyond the divide (of middle age), couldn't you just take in a little bit of the love and concern considered here by your 'children'? There is, maybe possibly, a slight tradeoff to be affected between freedom and safety. But we who care about you place some value on the safety part perhaps at slight expense of the freedom-part. This is the stuff of negotiation, not excoriation. IMHO. Also, note that the anxiety surrounding the issue for many has its own 'cost' -- hard to quantify for sure. But it does belong in the cost:benefit analysis somewhere, not just the literal numbers of deaths. And that anxiety exists among all, elders and their children and gchildren too. It's a hard thing to tote up but really pervasive. I think that's at the heart (pun winked at if not originally intended) of Pamela's post, frankly.

In the reader comments of the 50th anniversary online articles, I'm struck by how many claim "so and so confessed on his death bed..." I'm getting weary (& wary) of these so-called death bed confessions. They're a dime a dozen for just about any conspiracy theory. Wish we could just mourn for the loss of more optimistic times without sullying the whole thing with [insert your favorite conspiracist here].

Oh, gee, Chisue . . . Once I get a good idea (or an idea I think is good), the first draft gets written fairly quickly. I know some good writers who can sit down at the computer without any clue about what they're going to write, but I need to have a beginning and and ending in mind before I start. Either or both may change, but this gives me a framework. My favorite part to write is the dialogue. After that first draft is written, I revise a lot. Woman's World's word count is 800 max, so you have to make every word count. I pick away at it until I'm satisfied. Once a manuscript is submitted, it takes 4 to 6 months (usually 6) until you hear back from them. Thanks for your confidence! I hope you do enjoy it. Murraysmom, I'm glad you did!