Readers respond
OC topless ban: What would Zappa think? Your editorial concerning the issue of women going topless in Ocean City (“OC officials: The boobies are coming!” June 13) brought to mind the comments of a Baltimore-born song writer and performer, Frank Zappa. He came to Annapolis and testified before a state Senate committee against legislation then pending, which tried to ban so-called obscene song lyrics. In his testimony to the committee, which was reported by your newspaper in a column on May11, 2008, by Laura Vozzella, Zappa stated as follows: “I like nipples. I think they look good. If youaregoing to look at awoman’sbreast, if you take the nipple off, which is the characterizing, determining factor, what you’ve got is a blob of fat there. And I think that when you’re a baby, one of the first things you get interested in is that nozzle right there, and you get to have it right in front of your face. You grow up with it, so to speak. And then yougrow up in the state of Maryland and they won’t let you see that little brown thing anymore.”
I know Frank Zappa thought there was a difference between the male and female breast, and his comments should be remembered in light of your editorial and the public debate that is going on.
Bruce C. Bereano, Annapolis Maryland can’t improve literacy without better trained teachers In Maryland, 63 percent of fourth-grade students are below proficient in reading.
Scientific research has provided us the “vaccination” to prevent illiteracy, but we are not using this research because some people do not believe in “immunology.”
It is fiscally beneficial to prepare our elementary teachers with the research based, foundational skills necessary to teach reading. Many of the students we teach become “special needs” students because they are victims of ineffective reading instruction in the general classroom.
It is a fact that cost-per-pupil in the general education classroom is significantly lower than in special education.
Op-ed writer Buzzy Hettleman refers to the work of the Kirwan Commission, which is looking for innovations to make our schools better and has the goal of Maryland having the best schools for our children (“A long overdue civil right to literacy,” June 12). Marc Tucker of the National Center on Education and Economy made clear to the commission that more funding is not the solution without fundamental changes in structure.
We have the knowledge to improve teacher preparation in Maryland by setting standards for the delivery of evidencebased reading instruction for pre-service teachers as well as by requiring the assessment of this knowledge for certification.
We are losing generations of students by not providing the adequate instruction they deserve.
Barara Donick The writer is a member of Right to Read-Maryland.
EPA must enforce ozone standards On Tuesday, my children and I traveled to Washington with a group of other concerned moms, public health physicians and faith leaders to fight the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to delay a stronger ozone standard and other attacks on the Clean Air Act.
Ozone pollution, or smog, causes asthma attacks and other health issues that result in missed school days for children and increased hospitalizations and emergency room visits.
In 2015, EPA agreed to strengthen the ozone standard from the 75 parts per billion level set in 2008 to 70 ppb — the weakest standard recommended by EPA’s panel of scientists. The standard should have been stronger, but it does offer more protection from harmful air pollution than the earlier standard, and as moms we want to see it implemented quickly.
On Tuesday, the EPA AIRNOW air quality index showed levels in our ZIP code as high as 190 (“Unhealthy for everyone”) for ozone. As a family with children, it is important for us to have clean air during the summer when the children have more time to play outside.
Everyone we met on our trip, from Baltimore Penn Station to Union Station and around D.C., showed their support and desire for enforcing Clean Air standards.
Americans know we need clean air!
Now, the EPA is proposing to delay putting the new 2015 standard in effect — and unwise bills in Congress could permanently weaken this and other clean air standards. I came to D.C. with my family to tell my elected leaders to oppose such bills.
Everyone has the right to air they can breathe. The Clean Air Act has done so much to provide a healthier atmosphere for all of us. These attacks must be stopped.
Elizabeth Green, Lutherville
I know Frank Zappa thought there was a difference between the male and female breast, and his comments should be remembered in light of your editorial and the public debate that is going on.
Bruce C. Bereano, Annapolis Maryland can’t improve literacy without better trained teachers In Maryland, 63 percent of fourth-grade students are below proficient in reading.
Scientific research has provided us the “vaccination” to prevent illiteracy, but we are not using this research because some people do not believe in “immunology.”
It is fiscally beneficial to prepare our elementary teachers with the research based, foundational skills necessary to teach reading. Many of the students we teach become “special needs” students because they are victims of ineffective reading instruction in the general classroom.
It is a fact that cost-per-pupil in the general education classroom is significantly lower than in special education.
Op-ed writer Buzzy Hettleman refers to the work of the Kirwan Commission, which is looking for innovations to make our schools better and has the goal of Maryland having the best schools for our children (“A long overdue civil right to literacy,” June 12). Marc Tucker of the National Center on Education and Economy made clear to the commission that more funding is not the solution without fundamental changes in structure.
We have the knowledge to improve teacher preparation in Maryland by setting standards for the delivery of evidencebased reading instruction for pre-service teachers as well as by requiring the assessment of this knowledge for certification.
We are losing generations of students by not providing the adequate instruction they deserve.
Barara Donick The writer is a member of Right to Read-Maryland.
EPA must enforce ozone standards On Tuesday, my children and I traveled to Washington with a group of other concerned moms, public health physicians and faith leaders to fight the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to delay a stronger ozone standard and other attacks on the Clean Air Act.
Ozone pollution, or smog, causes asthma attacks and other health issues that result in missed school days for children and increased hospitalizations and emergency room visits.
In 2015, EPA agreed to strengthen the ozone standard from the 75 parts per billion level set in 2008 to 70 ppb — the weakest standard recommended by EPA’s panel of scientists. The standard should have been stronger, but it does offer more protection from harmful air pollution than the earlier standard, and as moms we want to see it implemented quickly.
On Tuesday, the EPA AIRNOW air quality index showed levels in our ZIP code as high as 190 (“Unhealthy for everyone”) for ozone. As a family with children, it is important for us to have clean air during the summer when the children have more time to play outside.
Everyone we met on our trip, from Baltimore Penn Station to Union Station and around D.C., showed their support and desire for enforcing Clean Air standards.
Americans know we need clean air!
Now, the EPA is proposing to delay putting the new 2015 standard in effect — and unwise bills in Congress could permanently weaken this and other clean air standards. I came to D.C. with my family to tell my elected leaders to oppose such bills.
Everyone has the right to air they can breathe. The Clean Air Act has done so much to provide a healthier atmosphere for all of us. These attacks must be stopped.
Elizabeth Green, Lutherville
PREVIOUS ARTICLE
