AIR Vents (38-1)
Exhalations from our readers
Overwhelming Welcome
Enclosed is my data concerning greeting rituals in Victorian England. As you can see, I have documented more than 43,000,000,000 instances in which English citizens used the phrase "Good Day" during the years in which Victoria reigned. I hope you find this suitable for publication.
Difficult to Swallow
I have been testing the long-believed, little-examined
theory that three meals a day are optimal for health and longevity.
My data, derived from longitudinal studies during the years 1964-1990
of more than 20,000 health professionals throughout Italy, appear to
indicate
that there are several optimal numbers. Three meals a day indeed are
indeed best, but seven meals a day also provide very good results, as
do nine
meals a day.
The data also appear to indicate that 37 meals a day are optimal. This
strikes me on the face of it as being flat-out wrong, but the data are
there, and I am at a loss as to how to explain them. Perhaps one of your
readers can offer an explanation.
Patrice M. Arruda, Ph.D.
Foggia, Italy
Improving on a Dead End
I feel compelled to reply to Professor Hiemer's criticism of my study of the death penalty in western societies ("High Stakes Crime and Punishment"). Professor Hiemer takes issue with my conclusion that we need to strengthen the death penalty. Despite the data, she seems incapable of seeing that the death penalty is simply not strong enough to meet the needs of the twenty-first century.
A Singularly Calculating Fellow
I was disappointed with your decision to publish Professor Ryligubulf's paper ("The Mathematics of Base 1"). Most of her article is drawn verbatim from "Base 1 for Beginners" (1987, Virst Press, London), my classic work on the subject.
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