Dear Mr. Wolgamott,
My name is Ann Napoletan and I lost my mother to Alzheimer’s Disease two years ago. I’m a passionate advocate in the fight to end this horrific disease and I found your recent reference to Still Alice as a “depressing ‘disease of the week’ movie” disturbing, disrespectful, and beyond insensitive.
The journey through Alzheimer’s with my mother changed my life forever, and I hope and pray you are never faced with watching a loved one slip away, over the course of years, in such a heartbreaking way.
My mother retired from a successful career at age 61 and began to show signs of cognitive decline shortly thereafter. She declined rapidly. Before my eyes, she transformed from a vibrant, independent woman – my rock, overflowing with life – to a terrified child who...
Lifestyle
Dear John D. Cruickshank (Publisher), Michael Cooke (Editor) and Rosie DiManno (Columnist),
I am writing to you to express strong concern over a reference made by Rosie DiManno in the article Rob Ford's sorry excuse for an apology: DiManno that appeared in today's Toronto Star.
We take no issue with the content of the article, other than the first line. Specifically, the line that reads: "If that sorry were any lamer it would have needed a wheelchair." We take serious issue with the use of the derogatory comparison between Mr Ford's apology and that of a person with a mobility issue that requires the use of a wheelchair.
For decades People with Disabilities have been the butt of jokes, mocked, and treated as second class citizens. The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities...
2,714
Dear Anderson,
As I watched you bring down the house with your American Idol audition, aired last night, there were so many things I wanted to tell you. While J Lo wiped away her tears on national television, and I did the same with more privacy, I wanted to praise you, thank you, and shout from the rooftops about you.
Thank you, Hollywood Anderson, for showing the world what I can only try to tell them: Young people like you, who have come to Covenant House or are still suffering in bitter weather – and, sometimes worse, the cold lonesomeness of the streets – are gifted, brilliant, awesome, and ready to soar, like the rest of us.
You've probably heard me say that the least interesting thing about Covenant House kids is the fact they're homeless. Their talents and hearts are so...
2,375
Dear Boss:
Being your website for the past five years has been a great experience. I’ve had thousands of visitors, processed hundreds of contact forms and have helped inform potential and existing customers about our products and services.
When I was created, my design was fantastic and my Flash intro was second to none. My content told our company’s great story and showcased our fantastic products. However, it’s time for me to go to the next level.
While looking around at other websites, it’s obvious that I don’t look as cool as I used to. I’m sure you’ve seen our competitor’s sites. They look awesome, refreshed, modern and dynamic and to be quite honest, I don’t.
Our company is amazing and I should reflect that, too. And it’s not just about creating a new Flash video for our...
2,465
Dear Chip and System-level Designers,
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Françoise von Trapp, and I am known in the semiconductor industry as “The Queen of 3D”. This is because I have held a deep interest in 3D integration technologies, and have devoted the past 7+ years to following the development of the processes involved from proof of concept through to manufacturability, and reporting on this progress here on 3D InCites. (If this is your first visit to the site, I encourage you to have a look around.)
It has come to my attention that while many of you are seeking new ways to deal with the increasing complexity of SoC designs, you may not have thought about 3D integration as a possible solution. Consider this: breaking up an SOC design into specific functions such as...
2,172
Dear Ms. Bartz,
I just finished reading your demoralizing letter regarding recent layoffs at Yahoo over at All Things Digital. Although I’m only a Yahoo user, not an employee, I am a heavy user of your Flickr product — a product that I’ve enjoyed and loved for many years now. As such, I watch how Yahoo is run with keen interest, mostly because I’m worried about how your corporate leadership will affect that site which I love so much.
For your first year of your reign at Yahoo you gave yourself a grade of B-, this past year you seemed a little more defensive and gave yourself a grade of simply “pass.” You’ve had the you know what kicked out of you, of course, by most of the tech and financial press over the past few years and have come back swinging yourself in odd ways. Telling Mike...
2,336
Dear Mr. Mills,
In 1998, Marcel Beaudry, former Chairman and CEO of the National Capital Commission, came under fire from the Ottawa Citizen—a respected newspaper of which you were the publisher.
You will recall that Mr. Beaudry had proposed transforming Metcalfe Street into a grande allée—a plan which would have substantially damaged the quality of Metcalfe Street and the Capital overall. This proposal was endorsed by the prime minister of the day, but it also elicited strong and sustained public outcry. Mr. Beaudry, the NCC board and its political overseers, in the end, heard the public and abandoned the proposal. Whether they ultimately agreed with the public or not is a moot point. Project Metcalfe Street did not happen.
Now, as Mr. Beaudry’s successor, it appears that you...
2,266
Dear Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious Conditioner,
I would like to take a moment to thank you for existing. You have become my one indispensible beauty aid, and I simply cannot bear to imagine my head of curls without you. I miss you between washes. Most days, when I have not used you, I wear a ponytail. Whether it is your actual talent, or my sheer, unwavering belief in your abilities to smooth frizz and provide shine without weighing my sometimes fine tresses down, I hold you in the highest regard and sing your praises to all who will listen. Whenever I get a compliment on my hair, I always give you the credit. I almost always have to check my luggage because of you, though one time I forgot and you were discovered in my carry on. I feared for the worst! Thankfully, the TSA officer...
5,857
Dear Governor Crist,
As you may know a recent report produced jointly by the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership and Transportation for America has shown that the following four metropolitan areas within Florida are the most dangerous cities for pedestrians in the United States.
1. Orlando-Kissimmee, FL
2. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
3. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL
4. Jacksonville, FL
The report titled “Dangerous By Design” concludes that Florida roads are dangerous for pedestrians because they have generally been designed to speed up -not slow down-traffic.
As residents of Miami Dade County, this comes as no surprise to us. However what does surprise us is that Florida has managed to take the top 4 spots...
2,646
Dear Colleagues:
We call on all leading EDA companies to support the creation of an
open, interoperable infrastructure among databases. We know that we
operate in a world of multiple databases: legacy databases from
Cadence, Synopsys, Avant!, and other EDA vendors, along with the
proprietary databases of electronics companies.
No single company can solve the design challenges that face the
electronics industry over the next decade. As an industry, we need to
start building better bridges between these databases on the way to
delivering on the promise of an interoperable infrastructure for our
customers.
Recently, the OpenAccess Coalition received consistently positive
response to its dedication to creating an open API, delivering open
source code and providing community...
2,232