Letters From Our Readers

Swap It!

While the article "Talkin' Trash" (December 2005) was very good, you missed one way to recycle. That is to swap or give away items instead of tossing them away. I belong to an email list with several chapters across Canada that helps to keep things out of the landfills. The main website is freecycle.org
Sharon Lawrence (Penticton, B.C.)

Hobbies

Mary Teresa Bitti ("Your Hobby + A Computer = Extra Money," January 2006) is so right in stating that online selling is where the future for home-based business is headed.
If you're looking for a product to sell, look no further than your own brain. One's knowledge of caregiving, painting techniques, travel tips - any subject at all - can be turned into an e-book. And e-books are popular sellers on the Internet. Thousands surf the web every day, seeking information, and when they find a site they can trust, they will buy.
Wendy Getchell (High Level, Alta.)

I just wanted to let you know that there is a Canadian blog-hosting service (only three links were provided in the blogging portion of your article) that is free to use and is growing rapidly. However, it is still small enough that users interact with one another. If people are looking for an alternative to the ones you mentioned, Freejournal.net is a good choice.
Aaron Luhning (Petawawa, Ont.)

No Medical Care

I read the article about our health-care system ("Medicare's Last Best Hope") in the February edition. I was already annoyed with our system, and then, a month later, came the straw that broke the camel's back.
My mother, husband and I have not had a doctor for at least five years. In the local paper this past weekend, there was an ad asking, "Need a Doctor?" I thought it was amusing that this doctor was "interviewing" patients. But I was also excited, especially for my mother. I called her up and gave her the doctor's name and number, and told her to call me back. When she did, just minutes later, she sounded so sad.
She had called the doctor's office and the secretary said there were still a few openings, but she'd need to ask my mother a few questions - to see if she met their criteria. When my mother offered her age - nearly 79 - the secretary stated the doctor wasn't taking patients that age.
What is happening in the medical field? My mother is in better shape than I am at 55. She line dances, walks, can run if need be, is at a healthy weight, still drives, travels everywhere...and a doctor doesn't want her as a patient because she doesn't meet his criteria? The only criteria for having a doctor should be that you are a living person.
My mother is receiving zero medical care and has to depend on walk-in clinics. I am appalled and angry.
S. Calladine (Simcoe County, Ont.)

In-fur-iated!

I never write in response to articles but felt I had to make a comment on the story by Bill Richardson ("Finding Soda," February 2006).
People who allow their pets to roam free and who then wonder why they get "lost" infuriate me. If they would think for a minute about the dangers that lay outside their home, they wouldn't let their pets out in the first place.
So my message to Bill and all the other so-called animal lovers out there is this: If you have pets, think of them as children and accompany them when out of doors, or they should stay in to play!
Philip Share (Toronto)

Puzzled

My daughter-in-law recently introduced me to your RD Challenge - a Su Doku puzzle (February 2006). It took me over an hour, but I found it very stimulating and definitely challenging.
I was a little disappointed when I compared my result to the solution provided, as the two were not the same. It seems that there are at least two possible solutions to this puzzle.
John Baranyi (Lanark, Ont.)

It turned out there were numerous solutions to this puzzle. Thanks to our readers who let us know. Future puzzles will have but one solution, we promise. Look for more Su Dokus starting in May, then every other month after that.
EDS

Speaking of Language

While John Ralston Saul ("French for the Future," February 2006) is doing good work among Anglophones, it begs the question, "Who is doing this for Francophones?" It is quite disconcerting to see someone in Quebec being interviewed on TV who is unable, or who refuses, to speak English. This should be a two-way street.
I have friends from Germany. They learned English in school, then moved to France and learned French prior to moving to Canada and becoming citizens of this country. Their children now speak all three languages. Why do native-born Canadians not learn to speak both official languages?
Ken Carpenter (Grimshaw, Alta.)

What Is the Flu?

I want to comment on "Unwelcome Guests" (February 2006). At one point, you state that "...Canadians fall victim to bacteria such as campylobacter...And while many think they're suffering from the flu - since symptoms are similar..."
It is a common misconception that the flu is a gastrointestinal illness. People often use the term "stomach flu" to describe a viral illness where vomiting or diarrhea are the main symptoms. Influenza infections are primarily respiratory infections and may have other symptoms as well, the most characteristic of which are weakness, fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, fever, sneezing and maybe a runny nose (http://ww.cc.gov/flu/professionals/diagnosis/)
Kimberly Trommelen (Wetaskiwin, Alta.)

Not So Stupid After All

You reviewed some "silly" products ("Do We Really Need These?" March 2006) that people with more money than brains might buy. One was called Banana Bunker. While I don't have this specific item, I do have a Banana Guard. And it's fantastic. I usually walk or bike to work and carry my lunch in a book bag. Before, bananas would be bruised beyond eating. Now my bananas are perfect every time. I highly recommend this product.
Lionel Stevens (Fredericton, N.B.)