Unfettered Letters

Sick of silly women

This letter has been brought on by “The Bachelor,” the reunification of Chris Brown and Rihanna and the show “Tool Academy,” among many countless other examples. I don’t know about you, but I am sick of silly women! A few silly women make us all look bad.

From one single woman to others, please consider this advice:

Have some respect for yourself.

Believe that you are worth pursuing and waiting for.

There’s nothing wrong with being a little reserved. It adds to the mystery.

Choose to love a man who loves you.

Believe that there are nice men out there. If you believe this is true, you are less likely to pine away for garbage.

I am an unmarried woman in what is said to be one of the worst cities in America in which to be single. It can be difficult and frustrating, but please, ladies, let’s all grow up and quit being a bunch of whiny clowns.

When we demand more, men will take all of us more seriously.

Shannon French
Kansas City

Say no to Elmo

“Kids are in the know with Elmo” (2/16, FYI) demonstrates expressly why I’d rather not have my children watch today’s dumbed-down talk on “Sesame Street.”

Elmo’s third-person, baby-talk semantics when conversing with fellow characters and those watching him is a complete disservice to young viewers. Developing minds deserve proper talk when learning about everyday activities.

Having loved “Sesame Street” when I was growing up, I looked forward to sharing such a classic with my own children. But one viewing as a new mom caused me to click off the tube and go to Amazon.com for the old-school DVDs.

Many of the show’s benefits extolled by columnist Jeneé Osterheldt still exist. Numbers, colors, and cultures are all explored in creative ways. I believe in the educational benefits of such programming, but not at the expense of diction and comprehension.

Moreover, I find it especially offensive that in its push to introduce young viewers to new languages, “Sesame Street” does not give equal consideration to proper English when scripting much of Elmo’s content.

With a modest investment in DVDs or rentals, you can share the “Sesame Street” quality of your growing years, when the characters talked to children and not down to them.

Mary Catherine Newman
Kansas City

Gouged by TV fees

The story “Penny-pinchers are cutting the cord” (2/16, FYI) should be a big wake-up to cable and satellite TV providers. More than likely they will go after the networks to somehow make it impossible for end users to be able to get TV for free.

I remember why cable came into being in the first place — so we could pay not to have commercials. What a joke that is now, as we pay a ridiculous premium to watch TV and get more ads than we ever have.

So once again here we are, the paying consumer, getting the gouge as the cable and satellite companies have gone to contracts and ridiculous disconnection fees. Read the fine print.

Kathy Peterson
Prairie Village

‘Breaking news’ isn’t new

Why is it our local television must run the same news stories over and over and over? I keep seeing “breaking” news announcements, only to find it’s a story they have been recycling for the past three days. It’s just a matter of time until the lead story will be the Hindenburg explosion or the sinking of the Titanic.

News is defined as “newly received,” not the dog who fell through the ice four days ago. I’d rather turn on the news and see the reporters playing cards and looking bored than dredging up anything to fill the broadcast time.

N.L. Sacco
Raytown

Food for thought

Something to consider in this new year is the proliferation of television programs extolling the joys of eating vast quantities of food.

We’re offered programs about giant portions, eating contests and cruise lines offering more food to individuals each day than should probably be eaten in a week. As those cruise ships sail past some of the poorer nations, is any thought given to how some of the citizens there view us? Us, with food to throw away, and them, in many homes, with parents unable to provide sufficient food for babies and infants.

Don’t even get me started on appetizers. That’s food before we eat our food. What a concept! How much food does a person need to have presented to him or her at one meal? And doggie bags? What a brilliant way of showing the rest of humanity that we’re so well off, extravagant and insensitive that we can overindulge while a significant number of people are malnourished or starving.

Please take a moment to contemplate how this behavior of ours is a slap in the face to people around the world. This is a behavior that surely merits some examination and change.

Lew Hughes
Kansas City, Kan.

DTV converter boxes

It would have been very strange for Time Warner Cable to host a forum and demonstrate that the DTV boxes will work well (1/28, FYI/Food, “Converters still may not bring in channels”). Scaring folks into signing up for cable will fatten their purses.

I have been using a converter box for several months now and have been delighted. My analog TVs have clearly picked up only three channels for the 23 years I have lived in Overland Park. Now I receive great reception on 16 channels and expect more when the HD signal becomes universal.

The occasional pixel is a smaller price to pay than a cable bill.

Rae Ann Kobylinski
Overland Park

We already know about DTV

Am I the only person who has had it with the reminders that digital TV (DTV) will take effect next month? I can’t believe how this one issue has taken over our TV and radio programs every single day.

The sad fact is the people who are not on cable or dish are the only people who need to know about DTV. I can’t believe more people are not expressing the point that we all understand the DTV deadline date (Feb. 17), how to get our government coupons and how to hook up a converter box.

Local Kansas City media: It’s time to unplug the digital TV reminders! I will never complain about months of election commercials ever again.

Thomas M. Edmondson
Kansas City

Take TVs out of kids’ rooms

Make Feb. 17 “National Get TV Out of Your Kid’s Room Day.”

On Feb 17, 2009, you will no longer be able to watch TV without a converter box, cable or satellite TV.

Educators agree that a TV in a child’s bedroom is generally a bad thing. TVs are not helpful for studying, sleep or family behavior. Many people now have a TV in their kid’s room and wish they could get it out.

I suggest we use the Feb. 17 date as an excuse to get the TVs out of our kids’ rooms.

Take back control! Your kids will thank you later.

Christopher Korth
Kansas City

In defense of the Clampetts

In a letter (12/5) critical of Mayor Funkhouser and his wife, Richard F. Thomas Jr. decries their conduct, stating “It’s worse than the Clintons, the Clampetts and every other ne’er-do-well couple made famous through dysfunction and general annoyance.” The Clintons can defend themselves, but someone must speak for the Clampetts.

There were no couples among the Clampetts. There was Granny, her son-in-law Jed, his daughter, Elly May, and his nephew, Jethro. Even California (at least in the 1960s) wasn’t ready to fashion a couple out of that mix. Sure, Aunt Pearl had her eye on Mr. Brewster, an oil company executive, and she was eager to find a suitor for her daughter, Jethrine, but by and large, there were no Clampett couples.

And the clan was hardly dysfunctional. Their home was an oasis of rationality in a desert of Left Coast madness.

Ne’er-do-wells? A malicious insult. The Clampetts were altruistic to a fault.

Mr. Thomas is free to say what he likes about the mayor, but there is no justification for his attack upon the Clampetts.

Jeff Maloney
Kansas City

Looks are part of TV news

Those women at KMBC complaining that they were demoted (11/15, A-1, “KMBC hit by gender lawsuit”) don’t seem to know TV is an entertainment industry. They got on TV in the first place because they were the pretty one, not necessarily because they were the best journalists.

I was in broadcasting for 25 years and saw a lot of better-qualified reporters, male and female, passed over for eye candy. Providing the whole package is the job.

Using youth, then finding somebody new, is what the entertainment industry does. It’s why we don’t have to fear what the Victoria’s Secret catalog will look like in 20 years and why George Brett isn’t still playing third base for the Royals.

When someone can’t deliver everything they were hired for, it’s time to show some class and move on.

George Thomas

Overland Park