Written 21 September 2001. Also see the 2005 Update
Editorial
ZT Madness is Spreading!
You might think “Zero Tolerance” is a playground issue — just a way for school administrators to deal with violent kids. If you did, you would be wrong.
Response to ZT: Let’s Mailbomb the Schools!
After yet more recent “zero tolerance” stories, the tenor of readers is “we want to do something about this!” I’ve had several questions like this, from Aaron in California:
Grasp Of The Obvious
Email makes it easy to complain. Too easy. I find people will literally complain about anything they see online.
We Made It!
When I was a kid, I would sometimes wonder if I’d live to see the 21st Century. I’m not particularly old, so it wasn’t a question of dying of old age first, but rather that I grew up in 1960s Los Angeles, with all the anxiety that entailed.
Religious Freedom: Only for Christians?
Bryant in Kansas, responding to a couple of recent stories that touched on religion, says: “I’ve grown weary of your newsletter, and your anti-Christian bent. I always wonder why anything ‘Christian’ gets blasted and not any other religion? Don’t tell me that it’s because Christians are so narrow minded. I won’t buy into that one.”
Online Video: Simply Cool
Ever since I saw Tron in 1982, I wondered how long it would be before computer power would allow anyone with talent to become a “real” filmmaker.
Idiots, or Not Idiots — That is the Question
I got this most interesting letter from a reader:
Unclear on the Concept
One of my pet peeves is Public Relations Flacks. These are not to be confused with Public Relations Professionals — PR people who do a good job getting The Word out about their clients. They hate the word “flack,” but when they make their clients look bad — well, they’re inviting the derision.
Museum of Geopolitical Insanity
My recent story on preserving a nuclear missile silo brought a fair amount of mail. Let’s start with the story:
Losing my Tolerance for “Zero Tolerance”
A Story Subject Responds
It isn’t often that someone featured in a This is True story writes to complain or argue about a story about them. The few that have written with comments are indeed generally not at all upset, but rather quite amused by the whole thing. So much so that I wish I got more such notes.
Your Source for Medical Info…?
A U.S. doctor who reads True was distressed over the story on “exploding head syndrome”.