Letters

Recycling home products needs clear guidelines

Regarding "Has recycling peaked" (April 17, Homefront): Part of the trouble in current recycling is the inconsistency in how and what local communities recycle. For example, here in Vista only some plastics are recycled. And in Oceanside where my mom lives, she can't recycle paper. There are also many unanswered questions. Like what the trade-offs are between using paper plates and the water saved from not washing dishes. More people would recycle if recycling guidelines were published a few times each year.
Cindy Creswell
Vista, Calif.

Regarding "How safe is safe?" (April 18, Ideas): Your article clearly shows the shortcomings of storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, and of the unresolved questions about storing it anywhere. How can we be sure this extremely toxic waste can be safely contained for thousands of years? As you point out, we can't. The answer isn't finding a place to dispose of nuclear waste, but producing power that doesn't produce such toxic, long-lasting waste in the first place.

In producing power, we must look at all of the costs including waste disposal. In the case of nuclear power, the cost of waste disposal – not just the monetary cost, but the human and environmental as well – are too big. Until we are certain containment will be complete, total, and foolproof, there should be no new nuclear power plants, and existing plants should be shut down.
Anne Macquarie
Carson City, Nev.

Regarding "Back to baseball basics" (April 16, Opinion): As a baseball purist, I'd love to agree that Major League teams should cater to die-hard fans and get rid of the promotions catering to a fair-weather crowd. But here's the rub: The world has changed and baseball has to change with it. Today, baseball competes with extreme sports, video games, theme parks, and 100 cable channels. As a sports marketing researcher, I research in-stadium baseball promotions and on average, they put about 5,000 extra fans in the seats.

Part of the problem is the league's fault. Teams have priced families out of the ballpark, alienating many of us with their greed and infighting. Now they're trying to win us back. Promotions play a part in that effort. For baseball to get back to basics, the league has to create a new generation of fans who appreciate the game. That means making it affordable for kids to visit the park and have access to favorite players. If promotions get families to the park and create a bond between kids and players and teach kids to love baseball, they can't be all bad.
Thomas Boyd
Fullerton, Calif.

Regarding "A new era in news design" (April 16, Opinion): The true value of a newspaper is determined by the quality and depth of its writing, not the attractiveness of its design. A well-designed newspaper can complement good writing, but it can't replace it.
Alistair Budd Elsah, Ill.

Regarding "Waiting out battle, reporter finds unlikely companion: Palestinian boy" (April 15): I was so moved by Cameron Barr's account of hiding with a Palestinian child in an empty Jenin garage that I read the whole article. That means a lot, since I'm so emotionally exhausted from reading daily accounts of the destruction in the West Bank, I usually don't go past the headline of an article on the topic. But Mr. Barr's piece was too powerful for me to resist.
Muhammed El-Hasan
Los Angeles

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