Letters: November 2007

That Smarts
Lauren Waterman’s piece “Ben Affleck Is a Genius” [October] has given us a brand-new interpretation of “genius.” Pardon my sarcasm, but the author sounds like a rather sheltered young woman who has just discovered the word, and affixed it to Affleck simply on the basis of his directorial debut (which, I admit, sounds like a very good film).

Einstein, Twain, the Coen brothers, and Ken Burns possess what could be considered genius in their respective fields. After seeing a few of the films that Affleck has “acted” in, I believe Ms. Waterman should take a deep breath before using such terminology in the future.

Dawn E. Grimes
Medford

Grass Rooting
Joe Keohane’s article “It’s Too Easy Being Green” [October] was an alarming portrayal of “progress” at work in Boston, without any regard for how residents really feel. What a ridiculous notion that green space doesn’t add anything to our daily meanderings. What would he prefer? Concrete and exhaust? The city is already far too car-centric, and I find the idea of coddling the less than 30 percent of Bostonians who demand a quick and painless drive to downtown in their SUVs not only selfish but nearsighted.

Kerri Spindler-Ranta
Roxbury

Technically Speaking
Thank you for calling attention to the medical technology profession in your article “It Pays to Be Wanted” [October]. The shortage of graduates in this field, though, reaches beyond Massachusetts: Since the 1970s, there has been a 71 percent national decline in the number of accredited education programs for medical technology. Plus, the average age of current professionals is 49—so as this generation retires, the situation will worsen. Given that 70 to 80 percent of the physician’s diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring depend on accurate medical laboratory test results, it’s important that the public as well as government officials be aware of this growing problem.

Kay Doyle, M.D.
Professor and chairwoman
Department of Clinical Laboratory and Nutritional Sciences, UMass Lowell

As a medical technologist, I was excited to see some publicity for a not-so-well-known career. However, your article stated that Northeastern University offers the only full-time medical technology program in eastern Massachusetts. As a 2006 graduate, I am very certain that UMass Lowell has one, too.

Jessie Beeley
Salem, NH

I would like to correct two things in “It Pays to Be Wanted.” First, UMass Dartmouth offers a full-time medical laboratory science program that’s recognized as one of the nation’s best, and has programs in biotechnology as well as cytotechnology. Second, we now prefer to be called clinical laboratory scientists, rather than medical technologists.

Lynne Brodeur
Department of Medical Laboratory Science
UMass Dartmouth

Bring It on Home
I cringed when I read Michele Orecklin’s description of selecting a preschool for her son: “Our plan was to apply to a range of places, then cross our fingers that we wouldn’t end up having to home-school” [“The Truth Hurts,” September]. She may have meant to be humorous, but she insulted the growing number of parents, including me, who choose to educate their children at home.

Home-schooled children have taken top prizes in the National Spelling Bee, the National Geographic Bee, and other scholastic competitions. They have gained admission to leading colleges, including Harvard. There is nothing wrong with going to preschool, but parents should know they do not have to shell out thousands of dollars for their child to learn, grow, and thrive. Yes, sometimes the truth hurts.

Evelyn Krieger
Sharon

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