October 3: Famous stutterers

I want to recommend a brochure entitled "Stuttering and the bilingual child," available on the Web site of the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation (www.stutteringhelp.org).

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
letters to the editor 88 (photo credit: )
letters to the editor 88
(photo credit: )
Famous stutterers Sir, - Re "Second-language stutter" (Health, September 27): I want to recommend a brochure entitled "Stuttering and the bilingual child," available on the Web site of the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation (www.stutteringhelp.org). The site offers downloadable brochures and streaming videos as well as the organization's many books and DVDs. I hope all people who stutter and their families will check out the site. It helped me find the speech therapist who led me to fluency. My favorite part is the fascinating list of Famous People Who Stutter. MARVIN R. GOLDFARB New York Sweet sell Sir, - The Israeli discovery of a cure for the virus associated with Colony Collapse Disorder might have been a more fitting front page headline for your Rosh Hashana edition than the usual mostly depressing fare. Sometimes good news does sell papers! In any case, I hope it's a sweet year for everyone ("Israelis discover cure for deadly bee-colony virus," September 29). DIANA SCHIOWITZ Jerusalem T.S. Eliot's anti-Semitism Sir, - I have no problem with Sarah Honig's prediction of Kadima's imminent demise ("This is the way Kadima ends," UpFront, September 26). In fact, I have yet to hear what I consider an intelligent comment by Tzipi Livni. What upset me was Ms. Honig's use of a poem by T.S. Eliot as the framework for her article. I have always regarded Eliot as an anti-Semite. And after reading Anthony Julius's book on Eliot, I realized he was so violently anti-Semitic that any quotation, in the ordinary way of things, from his writing seems inappropriate. AHARON ROSENBAUM Petah Tikva We're not so bad Sir, - Re "Moral ambiguity versus moral clarity" (UpFront, September 26): David J. Forman has done it again, joining the long list of pundits who erroneously call Gaza "one of the most densely populated land masses in the world." For his information, Gaza has 3,900 residents per sq. km. By comparison, Tel Aviv, with 5,050 residents per sq. km., ranks only 44th on the list of the world's most densely populated places. Gaza is crowded, yes, but it doesn't even come close to places like Cairo and Baghdad (21 and 22 in world ranking), each with more than 9,000 residents per sq. km. Forman also dredged up his 1990 comparison between an Israeli soldier accidentally shooting a youthful Palestinian demonstrator and the infamous photo of a Viet Cong boy being executed by a South Vietnamese officer. He even finds a comparison with Abu Graib, when Israel recently protected 100 Fatah members from their murderous Palestinian Hamas rivals. It's time for some soul-searching, and the realization that although Israelis are imperfect, we're not the bad guys here. We happen to be fighting a people intent on our destruction. STEVE KRAMER Alfei Menashe Shooting ourselves in the foot Sir, - "Health Ministry warns of alarming decline in numbers of doctors, nurses" (September 22), was surely extremely informative for those unaware of the dismal future of medical care in our country. While Judy Siegel mentioned that in 2007 medical licenses were granted to Israeli graduates of schools in Hungary, Romania and Italy, it is worth noting that the number of Israelis studying in those countries (especially Hungary, where our son is a third-year medical student) is mind-boggling. In the University of Debrecen's international medical (and dental and pharmacy) programs, almost half of the approximately 600-700 students are Israelis. The expense of these students' medical studies - less than it would be in the US but more than it would cost in Israel - is prohibitive for many young Israelis who would make fine doctors but just cannot scrape together the necessary funds. If they could be accepted by Israeli medical schools, they would not have to go abroad. Something preposterous: The grant soldiers receive upon discharge (around NIS 20,000) can be used for education, to start a business, etc. - but it cannot be used for education abroad for the first five years (after which it can be used it for anything). Our son, a Magen David Adom volunteer through high school, an army medic who served in the Second Lebanon War and who volunteers in our local hospital whenever he can, has always wanted to be a doctor. He took himself off to Debrecen as soon as he got out of the army - but he couldn't use his discharge money for the studies there. Why haven't scholarships or special grants been made available for these students, and why can't the Defense Ministry make an exception for using the grant toward medical studies abroad? Indeed, our medical system is in dire need of treatment - both emergency and long-term. ELISHEVA LAHAV Jerusalem No fireworks. Good works Sir, - Re "Night owls help recycle left-over food for needy"' (September 29): I would like to propose that in the coming year there be no firework displays whatsoever, the money instead being earmarked for the underprivileged. I am sure tourists will appreciate our efforts and not miss those 10 minutes of sheer and utter waste. I felt the same way with the Beijing Olympics. Millions were spent while millions in China lacked the bare necessities for everyday living. In Netanya, for example, we try to raise thousands of shekalim so that children who live below the poverty line can have sandwiches to eat at school. MICHAEL PLASKOW Netanya