Letters To The Editor
November 01, 2006 - MidWeek
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Del.icio.usMen over machines
As an avid MidWeek reader I agree with the reaction to our Oct. 15 earthquake/power failure as expressed in columns by Bob Jones, Jade Moon and Rick Hamada. But in particular, Larry Price was right on target, especially in his ending paragraph: “... let’s all hope that machines will always take orders from human beings. Blaming machines when something goes amok has little value in today’s society.”
This observation comes from someone who first worked with computers when they were run by electronic tubes in the 1950s and who retired a few years ago when we either had a PC or a Mac on practically every desktop.
Clarence Ching
Honolulu
Quake whiners
I can’t believe the whining over a loss of power for 12 hours! Thank you to Bob Jones for making sure people put it in perspective. How lucky we are compared to those who have struggled and continue to struggle through the New Orleans fiasco, or those people living or fighting in Iraq where power is often nonexistent.
People must be so glued to their TVs, gardening toys, computers, etc. that they have forgotten how to have a conversation, read a book, take a walk, or play a game with their spouse, family or friend. For the majority of us, it was a good change of routine or an inconvenience, not a disaster!
Suze Salm
Kailua
Kneed to know
While Bob Jones makes good points in his column on knee replacement surgery, my experience is quite different.
On Aug. 28, 2005, I had both knees replaced at the University of Washington. The procedure used was the minimally invasive quad-sparing total knee replacement.
I was 74, and they did both knees at the same time - into the hospital Monday and discharged Thursday. In two and a half weeks I was walking one mile in the morning and half a mile in the afternoon. At three weeks I walked nine holes of a golf course while my wife played.
In April 2006 I skied one week at Big White in Canada, and skied just like I was 40 - even kick turns were no problem. After the first 10 days my only pain medication was Tylenol, and shortly after, I took no pain medication.
I have great movement in both knees, and have had no pain since the first couple of weeks.
Anyone interested in further information should go to the following web site and find the articles by my doctor, Seth Leopold. There are nine articles that tell you everything about knee replacement and the pros and cons of doing the procedure: http://www.orthop.washing-ton.edu/uw/minimallyinvasive/
Don Moody
Kailua
Life without pain
I am compelled to reply to Bob Jones’ column wherein he expounded on the risks of hip/knee replacements.
I am 77 years old, and my buddy is 80. We both had successful surgeries performed by Dr. Gregory Lee at Tripler Army Medical Center. We, and other patients who had surgeries, are totally satisfied. Certainly, rehabilitation at the Rehabilitation of the Pacific and the Aiea Rehabilitation Clinic contributed significantly to our recuperation. We can walk up/down stairs without the use of a cane. The intense pain we endured over the years is gone.
Recently, a national survey revealed that 82 percent of patients who had these replacements are happy and satisfied they chose to have it done.
Come on, Bob, be fair. If you haven’t had surgery on your knee, don’t knock the wonderful job these professional orthopedic surgeons are performing.
John H. Chung Jr.
Pearl City
Kim is not ‘goofy’
In his Editor’s Desk column, Don Chapman wrote that Kim Jong Il “is goofy but not suicidal.” He is not goofy. He is defending his country as any leader should. He is independent and not occupied by the United States, as are South Korea, Japan, the Philippines and Iraq. These are the goofy ones.
The West had the guns and dominated the world for the past 600 years and made the mess we have today. They now have nuclear weapons and want to prohibit Third World countries from having nuclear weapons so that they can dominate the world for the next 600 years.
North Korea apparently objects to that, as it should.
Alfonso L. Largo
Waipahu
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