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We LOVE to hear from you! Glad you're taking the time to be part of the commentary of The World's Magazine.

Below you'll find the latest letters from YOU.

Kudos, brickbats, you'll find it all right here.

Let's play!

The G21 READERSHIP POLL

There's a certain Guilty Pleasure -- for both our readers and our writers, we've noticed -- about being able to "dish" as the trendy phrase used to go. So this poll gives you the chance to "go negative" once again.

But to add to your level of difficulty, your List can only have five (5) items, rather than the usual ten (10).

THE POLL QUESTION: What five trends, clichés, people in the news would you like to see disappear from the culture radar IMMEDIATELY?

DEADLINE EXTENSION: 20 MAY, 2005. The responses and results will appear in our "Summer Reading" edition at the end of May. Thanks in advance!

From our Mailbag 03/20/05 - 04/14/05

by YOU

THE WORLD - From D. S., Largo, FLA, USA:

SUBJECT: loved the easter egg

damn you're good at dialog


From Ngozi Razak-Soyebi, Lagos, NIGERIA:

Subject: The Face of a Women

Dear Rod,

I read with delight Aamena Jiwaji's write-up on the above, and was particularly happy with a woman leading prayers in a mosque.

"Islam has very strict rules about the place of a Muslim woman: but these rules, as I see them, and I must emphasise this, are neither discriminatory nor exploitative."

In my opinion, Rod, these rules become discriminatory and exploitative if women cannot hold positions in the mosque or even in the church. Perhaps the Catholic church should sit up and take note, too. Get used to it, Aamena love, the world is changing, and we as women have to change with it!

Regards,
Ngozi.

your brain spa

G21 #415: Intrepid JOIN OUR MAILING LIST. It contains more jokes than not. G21 E-MAIL NEWSLETTER G21 MIDEAST IRISH EYES MY GLASS HOUSE NEW YORK STATE RECOMMENDED DAILY REQUIREMENT VOX POPULI. RECOMMENDED DAILY REQUIREMENT ARCHIVES. MEMOIRS OF THE INFORMATION AGE ARCHIVES. LAST WEEK's EDITION MEET THE G-CREW! These are the people behind this jam-band every week. HOME TABLE OF CONTENTS & BACK ISSUES BECOME A SPONSOR OF THE WORLD'S MAGAZINE. WHY should you advertise here? We'll tell you. We know you're lazy. Here's a button for a quick translation of this page. Just click on the flag for your country. You're welcome! OR TRY THIS GOOGLE TRANSLATION SERVICE.

AAMENA RESPONDS:

Hi Ngozi,

Thanks for [yo]ur comments ... as is obvious in my articles, I use them as a means to flesh out my own growing opinions towards contentious issues. Am trying to come to terms with the new r ole that women have etched out for themselves, particularly in this generation, but I admit my more-accomodating and hopefully encouraging attitude is still a work in progress ...

No doubt my cloistered religious environment puts the blinkers on but am grateful for the strength in women around me to lead me, of which you are one.

I hope you are well.

Aamena

From Wolf DeVoon, (No City Provided,) COSTA RICA:

Subject: Your Earlier Poll

Dear Rod,

The 'meaning and purpose of life and human consciousness' is a compound question that conjoins three different ideas and should be considered one piece at a time, not all jumbled together.

Meaning is the product of a definition, the referential content of a idea. 'What is life?' asks for a definition that gives concise, fixed meaning to the term. A good answer states the genus and essentia characteristics, viz: 'Life is the state of an organism characterized by certain processes or abilities that include metabolism, growth, reproduction, and response' [New Lexicon Webster's Dictionary of the English Language]. I'd put it a little differently to include the notion that life is an inherited genome transmitted from parent to offspring, including oak trees/acorns and chickens/eggs; that life is conditional on suitable environmental and social factors, with manageable threats and many opportunities; that individual life declines when the organism is unable to grow and thrive; and that individual life proceeds from infancy to surcease. Having a 3-year-old daughter is a daily object lesson in guardianship, one that she herself understands and accepts most of the time, especially when she gets stuck or hurt or hungry. Newborns take a decade to reach the age of reason, another decade to become fully self-sufficient adults. The term human life comprehends all of it, from dunce to genius, baby and mother and maiden aunt and wrinkled warlord, artist and plumber, villain and hero.

Purpose is elective. It's also context sensitive.

Lastly, human consciousness is volitional. This is often explained as the power of choice, but the choice is rather stark -- to think or not to think, to face the facts or ignore them, to own up to an embarrasing truth or deny it hysterically and irrationally. Aristotle said many things about the human condition, not least that we are political animals, disposed to family life, horse trading, and entirely too much graft. Truth-telling keeps us healthy, wealthy, and wise. Bernie Ebbers blew a $200 billion Worldcom empire by pretending he didn't know anything about technology, finance, or accounting. Bernie himself is not the interesting story, rather it's the bankers and fund managers who should have grilled him night and day, instead of turning a blind eye to the oncoming Worldcom disaster. At our economic peril, men must know and speak the truth.

It also comes in handy between man and woman, father and child, friend and friend. There is little else we can give one another except truthfulness, upfront, day after day, and stand willing to hear the testimony of others in a freely shared democracy, which is man at his best.

Hang in there, Rod. You're a big chunk of the electronic democracy and I submit you know it.

Wolf DeVoon


ROD RESPONDS:

Wolf,

Thanks for writing and your comments. I wish I had had to to submit with the rest of that disastrous poll experience. Oh well.

As to my own estimable contribution ot the electronic democracy, I often feel it depends on the day. Now that Vickie, my beloved Memory Machine, and I are really reunited, I'll see if I can make that contribution more consistently.

Best to you and your family. If you run into any angels, send them my way.

Cheers,
Rod

From "Mur81", (No City Provided,) USA:

SUBJECT: Lani Hall

I'm trying to purchase Lani Hall song called: "I don't want you to go". How do I purchase that CD???

Thanks


ROD RESPONDS:

Thanks for visiting G21 and for writing. It's appreciated.

In answer to your question: Go directly to Ms. Hall's record label's Web site.

Cheers,
Rod

From David H., Berlin, GERMANY:

SUBJECT: New Direction

Dear Rod,

I am a long-time fan of your Ezine and have written in before congratulating you on the fine job you and your writers do here every issue. It's refreshing to read this type of enlightened and wide-ranging type of Ezine coming out of the United States. I particularly like the fine team of writers you've assembled in your "G21 Africa" section.

I am writing this time to ask you a question about a new direction and tone you seem to be taking with G21 this year. I have read with increasing concern the tribulations you suffered in Phoenix and New Orleans and consider you're keeping to your publication something of a modern miracle when I see how difficult your life is. But also, it seems that you are getting away from long established patterns both in the organization and focus of your "Glass House" column and in the general direction of G21 this year. Is this just my imagination/wish-fulfillment, or is there truly a new plan at work this year?

I'd love to know but will understand if you feel this is an intrusion.

Keep up the good work!

Sincerely,
David H.


ROD RESPONDS:

David,

Thanks for continuing to visit G21 and for taking the time to write in. Much appreciated.

Your letter raises questions that I'm not sure I can answer fully right now ... You see, this effort reflects both conscious decisions -- like the new sections that I've evolved in the "GH" column -- and unconscious influences. Frankly, I believe that latter has had more to do with what the magazine has focused on this year than the former.

As I implied in one of the GHs, I'm very much on auto-pilot this year. G21 operates like a machine now; I haven't had to solicit new articles or suggestions for features in many, many months. So, I simply let each edition become focused on what the writers have to say and act more as the conduit than anything else.

Glad of it, too!

Cheers!

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