Opinion: Nature loves a female breadwinner

I don't think this is an either/or situation. The facts are the facts - women provide the majority of support (or all of it) in 40% of households. No one is saying that this necessarily the best way. What we are saying is, it is not unnatural for women to support their families, and it is most definitely not the root of all of society's evils, as Erickson insists. I have been a single mom, and I currently make about 2.5 times my husband's salary. It is far easier with a partner than without. But I did a good job both ways.

The nature comparison has other fallacies as well. No other species that I am aware of requires 18 years to see their offspring reach maturity. No other species' infants remain helpless (or mostly helpless) for as long as ours. Most other species' babies have reached adulthood by the time our babies are learning to walk and talk. For humans, if there are two involved, caring parents, outcomes are generally better. But that doesn't mean moms or dads alone can't be just as successful. We are intelligent, and we adapt.

June 17, 2013 at 2:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Bedbugs on the radar screen of city officials; new ordinance would allow City Hall to create rules to exterminate pests

Don't know about the rest of you, but now I'm itchy!

June 17, 2013 at 1:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Trademark protection a constant concern for KU

I don't see how students who have their college tuition, room and board provided for free can say that they "never see a dime of that money." In fact, they see thousands of dollars of that money. If they never advance to the professional ranks, they still have access to a quality education. If they take advantage of that, their benefits will last their lifetime.

June 17, 2013 at 1:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Opinion: Redskins mascot can’t be justified

Tuschkahouma, I want to ask you a question, and please know I respect you and your heritage. I have a degree in history and learned about many of the atrocities of which you have written, as well as atrocities committed by Native tribes upon each other. Here is what I don't understand. The things you are spending your life being angry over happened more than a hundred years ago. I am of Irish descent. My ancestors were tribal and clannish, as were yours. Like yours, they were persecuted, tortured, subject to genocide, run off their lands, subject to primogeniture, and were even rejected, humiliated, discriminated against and even killed when they came to America to find new lives for their families. This happened even longer ago than the atrocities you have described. The only difference is, no one gave them any reservations. They have not received any special treatment or reparations for their losses. For the most part, they moved past the tragedies of their past and got on with their lives.

Native Americans are not the only group in history to have been subject to such things. Human beings have been doing these things to one another since the dawn of creation. No one is compensating my ancestors for things that were done to them. Why should Native People get any more consideration than any other persecuted group? What makes your situation different from that of my ancestors?

I am not trying to be insensitive, I am truly interested in your perspective on this.

June 17, 2013 at 1:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Letter: Coin, quoin

Item 2 - should say "when the writer"
Got so worked up I made a mistake! Don't judge me!

June 14, 2013 at 4:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Teachers reach contract agreement with Lawrence district

Lefty, my dad was a teacher, and there is just no fighting this ignorant perception that teachers work a lot fewer hours than other professions. My dad worked the same kind of hours your wife did every day, except for the days when he worked even more hours to coach football and basketball games, often getting home at 10 p.m. You can't make them understand, because they are determined to believe that all teachers are lazy, incompetent drains upon society.

June 14, 2013 at 4:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Letter: Coin, quoin

If misuse of a fairly obscure term merits a LTE, perhaps I should write one about all of my linguistic pet peeves, seen often on these message boards. To wit:

1. The incorrect use of apostrophes to indicate plural nouns. For example "I went to the store and bought two tomato's." No you didn't, you bought two tomatoes.
2. Using loose when the write means lose. One does not loose one's mind. One loses it. One can, however, loose the hounds. Which means to let them go intentionally, not mislay them by accident.
3. The use of lead (as in the metal) when the writer means led. Granted, this is a tricky one, since another use of the word spelled lead (pronounced leed) is the verb for which led is the past tense. For example: He led us through the forest. Lead us not into temptation. It was a lead pipe cinch.

Mostly I just grit my teeth and bear it. English is a tricky beast!

June 14, 2013 at 3:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Editorial: Depot windfall

I don't know what planet you've been on, moderate - but state employees haven't had a pay raise in over 5 years. Perhaps professors are paid differently, and teacher pay is negotiated locally with the district, but most folks at KU have been on a fixed income for several years.

June 14, 2013 at 3:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Editorial: Depot windfall

Never said I wanted any subsidies, so please don't ASSume. You know what happens when you do that. I simply stated that a commuter route would solve a lot of problems. Unless the RR was planning to give out free tickets, presumably this would be a profitable enterprise for them, thus justifying the investment.

You know, that whole supply and demand thing?

June 14, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Who would you put in the Kansas Hall of Fame?

Tom Averill!

June 13, 2013 at 4:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )