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Show "I'm - ' I i: c "People who have what they want are fond of telling people who haven't what they want that they really don't want it." Ogden Nash, American humorist and poet (1902-1972- ). Ttfl CIAIM5 yVe a Polack An old pal from Chicago's Northwest Side called and sounded like he might pop a blood vessel. "Are you going to do something about that ... that ... woman?" he sputtered. What woman? "That Ann Landers woman. Are you going to let her have a blast?" Of course not. Ann Landers, also know n as Eppie Lederer. has been a close friend for more than 30 years. I don't go around blasting close friends. Especially when they are as cute as a bug. "But you know what she did? What she said?" Of course I know. "She called the pope a Polack. A POLACK!" So what? The pope is a Polack. "What? What? You said the pope is a Polack? You said it?" Of course I said it. And if you ask the pope if he is a Polack. I'm sure he would agree. "I can't believe this. You're part Polish and you can use a slur like that?" What slur? "What do you think? The word Polack." I don't consider it a slur, and I'm surprised that so many Polacks and others think it is. They have been calling this paper and howling for a sweet lady's scalp. So once and for all, let us get it straight. If you are truly Polish, you are a Polack. Who says so? The Polish language says so. In Poland, the word for someone who is Polish is Polack. Thus, when Eppie, as we call her, described the pope as a Polack. she was 100 percent correct. If you went in a bar in Warsaw, hoisted a vodka and said: "Here's to the pope, a really great Polack." you would get cheerful nods, especially if you bought the round. Except from the unreconstructed godless commies, the rats. That's why I've never understood someone being offended by a perfectly valid word. It's not like calling an Italian a wop or a gino. a German a kraut or a heinie. a Frenchman a frog, a Hispanic a beaner, or other words that were created as slurs by old WASPs and rival ethnic groups. This was explained to me at an early age by Big Chester, who used to tend bar at my father's tavern and was the toughest guy I've ever known. Big Chester was born in Poland, and he would thump his chest, fix Irish Harry with a steely gaze and say: "Oldest university in Europe is in Krakow. We have university when Irish wore fur underwear. We conquer most of Russia when Irish I'm one of millions of American women who rely on the health information that appears each month in the women's magazines. 24 articles in 3 women's magazines published between 989 and 995. looking for information about the safety of silicone breast implants. What I found instead was a frightening array of inaccuracies and disinformation. reviewed 1 Most of the articles on silicone breast implants claimed that they are dangerous and cause a variety of health problems. A 989 Vogue article catalogued the alleged effects of silicone implants on the immune system and connective tissue. In 990. Ms. trumpeted "Deadlv News" on breast implants, claiming that silicone gel causes autoimmune disease. Ladies' Home Journal ran a nightmarish narrative in 992 that included descriptions of implant ruptures, requiring silicone to be "scraped off" a woman's chest. Mademoiselle wrote about women who were left maimed and chronically ill with autoimmune diseases. Women's Day warned about legal conspiracies and secret settlements covering up the dangers of silicone. New Woman castigated plastic surgeons and the Food and Drug Administration for allowing women to be horribly disfigured and exposed to such a large health threat. d Glamour claimed that silicone and could cause cancer. implants 1 Even after scientific studies (made public in 994) indicated that implants are safe. Glamour challenged both the validity of those studies and the integrity of the news media, asking "Why does the media let women believe breast implants are safe?" 1 Redbook, in a 99 article titled "A Body to Die For," claimed that silicone implants cause lupus and scleroderma and d that implants could cause breast cancer. It increased the terror in 995, in an article describing how babies could be affected by silicone, both in the womb and through breast milk. 1 foam-covere- 1 1 W IN V5 ANoTHfcfc 4TAKTUNG fWAToM, EMIP . WW MISCMmS StyCBAHErJ WHO SvJoopEp mofFtifc A ii it t !!!!! it '111 dnJufn UCr? mniL rrontc ioi4i rkkAQAr.kl iaITlI A VJlMMltlfi IN IPAHO,fKfcH WSTERloURy rCKr ?MCteV Af A 7-El- VlSWZWtV. Mike I STAY TUNEP FOR MORE, IFYOUCAN STANPlT.,.. Mil liirigi , The Chicago Tribune Most of the angry people who called hadn't read the article in the New Yorker that caused this (lap. They had heard it on radio and TV. as broadcast reported by bubble-heade- d boobs who hadn't read it either. So let's get to it. In the article, which was about what a and he truly is great babe Eppie is she was giving insightful thumbnail impressions of the famous people she has met. And she has met many. About Pope John Paul II. the Polish pope, she said: "Looks like an angel. He has the face of an angel. His eyes are sky blue, and his cheeks are pink and adorable looking, and he has a sweet sense of humor." Now. I ask you. did any of the TV yahoos and radio babblers tell you about Eppie saying that the pope looks like an angel and has a sweet sense of humor? Of course not. The broadcast rodents knew that would not serve their malicious purpose. They zeroed in on the rest of her quote: "Of course, he's a Polack." Laughter. "They're very antiwomen." What she obviously meant was that Poles of the pope's generation don't always treat women as equals. And she's right. There are countless Catholic women Polish and otherw ise, nuns and housewho will tell you they aren't nuts wives about this Polish pope's attitudes toward women. And that is a valid issue that can be debated. But it is not a blanket insult of all Polacks. So I would ask my fellow Polacks to calm down. This lady ain't got a bigoted bone in her trim bod. And when life gets tough, you couldn't ask for a better friend. That's from one proud Polack to another. of the stones were so inaccurate and frightening. Vogue. Glam- our and Good Housekeeping also ran bal- anced, informational articles on silicone implants. Indeed. Cosmopolitan published a positive article about implants in 1989 and in 995 spoke reasonably about the risk servations involved, criticizing the way lawyers have turned silicone breast implants into a major medical "hoax." However, these few articles were lost among the many graphically form women suffering describing deformed breasts and chronic illnesses. 1 foam-covere- M UfTRV wore fur underwear. I am Polack and proud of it. You w ant to fight?" Irish Harry, who hoped to live long enough to become an alderman, would just smile weakly and buy the house a round. But let us return to my friend Eppie. In fairness, not all By RENA SELYA J5T IN CCCr Akin Magazines fail to give clear impla nt facts recently uv Monday, December 4, 19f5 The Daily Herald I 4': On balance, if you believed everything you read in women's magazines, you would be terrified especially if you such implants. already had For those women who view the scare stories skeptically, there is good news: The medical journals present a v ery different picture of breast implants. First, breast implants have not been show n to increase the risk of breast cancer. The other claims are equally false. For example, the British Department of Health reviewed 270 scientific papers on implants and found no connection to autoimmune diseases. Studies from both Harvard and the Mayo Clinic found no relation between breast implants and connective tissues diseases. And other studies could establish no link with scleroderma. As Dr. Marcia Angell. executive director of the New England Journal of Medicine w rote. "Any risk of connective tissue disease from implants is so small that it has been impossible to detect." Why have the women's magazines misinformed and misled their readers? And what can be done to make sure they act more responsibly in the future? ftcna Selya is a research intern at the American Council on Science and Health in Xew York City. jWWKK. 099S THE DAILY HERALD V Home care vital In the movie The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy says. "There's no place like home." Most people who have experienced the benefits of home care services have echoed the same feelings. During the month of November, thousands of home care clients and providers throughout the United States celebrated National Home Care Month. Gov. Michael Leavittalso declared Utah Home Care Week as Nov. 3. The Home Care Week proclamation states that the state of Utah expresses its support and appreciation to Utah home care providers and commends all dedicated individuals who have devoted their careers to providing high quality home care services to its clients. Many clients have also shared appreciation for the services they receive in their home. "The nurse cares for my mother with as much tenderness and concern as she would her own mother or grandmother. She is truly a wonderful and efficient nurse, a credit to her profession. We are privileged to have her in our mother's Health Care home." said one client. Another family referred to the home health aides coming into their home to provide personal care as "angels on earth." Not only is home care a comfortable and caring option, it is also and rapidly growing. According to the Sept. 18 issue of Fortune magazine, home care is the number one industry for creating jobs in the next few years. Being the fastest growing of the top five job creating industries, which are health care related, home care is being provided in most areas of Utah and the nation. This greatly benefits Utah's economy. This year's home care spending is expected to total more than $27 billion. Home care has more than doubled its employment numbers since 1990. And demand for home care services will only increase because of the shift toward cost 27-De- c. cost-effecti- containment. Home health care services benefit the recovering, disabled, or chronically people who need medical treatment andor assistance with the activities of daily living. The National Association of Home Care (NAHC) estimates that more than 7 million Americans currently receive home needs. care for mild, acute and This figure increases every day as greater numbers of people are able to leave institutions or avoid hav ing to enter them due to advancing technology. Home care has been a tradition for more than a century. Doctors used to make house calls. In the 1880s public health nurses traveled to patients' homes. Since that time there has been tremendous growth in the home care industry. Since June. NAHC has identified over 17.000 home care agencies in the United States. The overwhelming preference for home care services, together with the costs of institutionally based health care make the home care industry one of the fastest grow ing health industries of the ill long-ter- m spi-rali- '90s. As a local home health agency serving much of Utah we have seen incredible changes in the Utah home care industry as well. Because there are so many more home care options today, it's important that families actively look for a home care agency that will meet their particular needs. Families have the right to choose an agency that provides the services they need at an appropriate price. Many people do not differentiate between agencies, their quality of care and what makes them unique. One of the most important parts of care preparation researching home care options. long-ter- m Home care growth can also be attributed to the healing, security and comfort that are associated with home. Studies have shown that people heal faster at home. Leo Buscaglia said, "A home environment, where one is surrounded by caring, loving family and friends, offers the ideal setting for healing. After all, how can there be a better place than home?" Health Care and Preferred Home Health Services, local sister company home health agencies, are also affiliates of the Preferred Home Care Network, serving people of all ages in Utah, northern Arizona, and southern Nevada. For additional information about home health care services and pricing in these areas, contact the Preferred Home Care Network at Debbie Stahmann Health Care Professional Relations Coordinator Orem School vote bad In response to the Provo School Board meeting, Tuesday night, Nov. 21, we were extremely distressed and in utter disbelief. It is very difficult to sit back and support something that has already been proven to be a failure. The school board would like us to support this decision, but we can not, in good judgment, support this proposal. We want to remind the school board that we live in a democratic society. And we are going to use this system to fight this proposal every inch of the way. The school board, the committee members and parents in the south of Provo have, yet again, succeeded in splitting the community. The people of south Provo have controlled this city for as long as I can remember. They control it through a "poor me" attitude. I'm so poor, I don't have any advantages and it is I our (the north's, or "rich's") fault. all the the north has never years Through bad mouthed the south. We have sat back and been taken advantage of and controlled through "poor me" attitudes and been called "narrow-minde- d bigots". We are sick and tired of being blamed for the "misfortunes of life." south's The south has consistently complained about the north and continually called our children "rich snots." We can't imagine so-call- ed WVBB&NON ThteiAtA TOO WAT ,f6AS,S0N- TDUJN WCU? LON6. V56A5 15 A PLAC& UJHZR5 IOB CAN GST LOST, SET-TI-B STOMPING 6RDUNU6 lift FOROURSeiVES! 7M5, ed put-upo- n' 13-a- ! comj-munity- mistakes? . .t It is a shame that the school bparjl members came to the meeting with their decisions already made. It was a waste of the committee members' hundreds of hours, and the parents time, to ga'.anti voice their opinions. We hope that. thb members of our community have finally realized that Mossi White (voted diversity), Kent Clark (voted diversity), Gerry Williams (voted neighborhood - only' after it he knew it wouldn't make any difference), and Ken Matheson (voted diversity) have their own agendas. Even though we voted them in to do what we, the parents, wanted done for our children; they ignored the evidence of failure in busing, and what the majority of the community wanted. Gayle Chandler (voted neighborhood) was the only one with courage enough to vote the way her constituents wanted. We can quote Mossi Whit?.in a board meeting about taxes two years ago, "It doesn't matter what the parents want, we know what's best for the schools." so hard to be "politically correct" have ignored the needs of the majorthey our children of and set our community ity up for a major failure. How sad that it Will be that it is the children who are goirtglo be the ones to suffer for it. - QOUJN, MAK5A 600P . g LisaBai'rd Provo Letters policy Letters to the editor are welcome. Please address them to: Editor, The Daily Herald. P.O. Box 717. Provo, UT 84603-071FAX 9. Letters must be signed and include the writer's full name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Preference js given to letters that are typed, double spaced and less than 400 words in length. , Letters that are too long, unsigned, illegible, obscene or libelous will not bejpub-lishe- BY GARRY TRUDEAU Doonesbury li involves "rich) why they now want the snots" to influence their "poor children. The south, and the school board; are asking those same "rich snots" to novv do the job the parents of the "poor put upon" children are supposed to do. We think it is a little much to expect to have to be responsible foother children getting good grades. Th people in the south, and on the schooj board, need to quit blaming others fof "misfortunes" and start tak their ing responsibility for their own lives and their children's grades. The consequences of the decision to gi with Proposal M are, not only have, you set Farrer up to fail, but the entire All you have to do is look aHhf facts of other communities who have done this. In a study done over 30 years, within 37 states, the conclusion is BUSING IS A FAILURE. Can't we learn from ofher'fc UM...I THINK. 50. TMPRTTY i SUR5THPHA& A SCHOOL sysrm. i i ! , |