Readers write: Mesquite glamping, quantum comic, and more
Michael Bonfigli/Special to The Christian Science Monitor
Mesquite glamping
On the heels of the 2019 United Nations climate report, it was very disappointing to read the Aug. 5 Monitor Weekly cover story, “Splendor in the Mesquite,” about glamping. A story about the efforts of the Trump administration to dismantle long-standing environmental safeguards (the Endangered Species Act, for example) would have been far more relevant and edifying to Monitor readers.
The Monitor needs to be far more direct about its climate reporting. This global threat needs immediate and decisive action and prayer. Widespread complacency needs to be disrupted and the facts need to be widely broadcast. The Monitor – with its base of engaged readers – is in a perfect position to do this.
Why We Wrote This
Letters to the editor for the September 2, 2019 weekly magazine.
Sharon C. Lincoln
Boston
Quantum comic
I really enjoyed “Beyond Schrödinger’s cat: A serious comic about quantum physics” in the July 8 & 15 issue of the Monitor Weekly. I taught high school physics for many years and thought the comic explanation was very well done. It was simple, to the point, and did a good job of explaining the difference between Niels Bohr’s and Erwin Schrödinger’s approach to quantum physics. Congratulations on having the courage to try explaining quantum physics, which can be very complicated.
Richard Feren
Manchester, New Hampshire
Woodstock and beyond
Regarding the cover story “Field of tie-dyed dreams” in the Aug. 12 Monitor Weekly: I see a remarkable shift in social consciousness from my grown children’s generation to mine. We challenged society in the 1960s, with its reluctant position on war and civil rights. Collective urgency has diminished; leading by example is the new voice of change. Continued fear for the future of a healthy environment has now led to a more personal response, with individuals buying organic food and limiting carbon footprints.
Even we “gentle activists” mentioned in the article can still picket the White House, call our representatives in Congress, welcome diversity, reduce water consumption, and make smarter choices at the grocery store. Glad you could find some photos of mud-surviving optimists in August 1969 that you could print in the Monitor! One of my few regrets in life is not seeing in person Jimmy Hendrix play the anguished national anthem at Woodstock. Heart-stopping history without words.
Ann Hymes
Laguna Hills, California