Correctly portraying Biden
The March 12 editorial “Protecting little kids from Big Tech” featured {a photograph} from President Biden’s State of the Union speech. For the reason that speech lasted greater than an hour, there should had been many alternatives to painting the president as, smartly, presidential. As an alternative, he was once introduced as a howling infant, brandishing his fist in rage.
In our divided land, creating a mockery of the president — each and every American’s president — is purple meat to Republicans and bitter apples to Democrats. A little bit dignity would cross a ways.
We don’t thoughts increasing our vocabularies
I am hoping The Submit’s journalists and duplicate editors will forget about the kvetching from readers who to find phrases equivalent to “revanchist” and “irredentist” too arcane or recherché for his or her style, as said within the March 12 Unfastened for All letter “We should not use language that alienates our audience.” If a phrase is apposite, use it. Even essentially the most erudite amongst us have lacunae in our vocabularies; given the danger to fill them, we will have to welcome the chance.
Writing within the newspaper isn’t intended to be limited to what’s suitable for informal dialog. Au contraire! That is the best way other folks discover ways to learn a language.
Jack Aubert, Falls Church
I used to be first amused however then frustrated by way of a reader’s grievance that the phrases “irredentist” and “revanchist,” in the beginning of an editorial about Ukraine, had been “so obtuse” that she needed to glance them up. Her indignation over “two phrases that, in my a long time of writing, studying and seeking to reside as much as my English-major background, I’ve by no means noticed,” means that most likely she will have to check out some nonfiction, beginning with nearly any guide or article outlining the origins and aftermath of International Battle II.
The Submit may just no doubt do a significantly better task explaining the background of the location in Ukraine. A chain of detailed articles about Ukrainian historical past thru 1989, the breakup of the Soviet Union and enlargement of NATO, and the occasions of 2014 and after could be specifically helpful (and provide a chance to give an explanation for terminology). However, please, in reporting present occasions, writers don’t want to suppose that the paper’s basic readership is totally unfamiliar with Eu historical past or its vocabulary.
Tone-deaf comics aren’t humorous
The Feb. 28 “WuMo” comedian was once tone-deaf and callous. Its timing demonstrated a loss of consideration and insensitivity to present global occasions. It was once silly slightly than humorous.
The horrors of struggle on complete show
Why did The Submit make a decision to relegate {a photograph} of a death mom being carried throughout the wreckage of Ukraine to the Taste phase [“Motherhood, in the devastation of war”] slightly than function it at the entrance web page? Is there any higher solution to viscerally put across to American citizens your complete human devastation that Russia is inflicting?
Is it as it’s an excessive amount of for American citizens to peer the actual humanity of this invasion and our failure to in reality act? To remember that the goals of a lady for her personal long term and that of her unborn kid are irretrievably extinguished? Is it as it reasons us to seem within the reflect and remember that we’re observing this happen and flying Ukrainian flags and no longer consuming Russian vodka whilst nonetheless paying some distance much less on the pumps than shall we?
The USA spent a long time operating in partnership with Ukraine within the aftermath of the autumn of the Soviet Union to protected guns of mass destruction and be offering Ukraine a longer hand in protection partnership. And right here we sit down. Gazing. In quest of consensus with a demonstrably neutered NATO whilst Russia invades and murders those other folks. The entrance web page featured the rubble of a development we will all (falsely) persuade ourselves will also be simply rebuilt [“U.S. warns China not to assist Russia”]. And the mummy death on a stretcher, understanding all her hopes had been extinguished in a duration of weeks, was once within the Taste phase. I’m a battle veteran who labored for the Protection Division for 21 years sooner than deciding to grow to be a stay-at-home mom. If I didn’t write this, how may just I justify preserving my son with a middle filled with gratitude?
Joelle Shoemaker, Alexandria
I don’t suppose I’ve ever noticed extra pleasure in a sports activities photograph than that captured by way of Submit photographer Jonathan Newton of the Westlake Top Faculty bench’s (and trainer’s) response to Aaron Herron’s game-winning rating [“Wolverines stun Eagles at the buzzer,” Sports, March 13]. The Wolverines’ victory within the Maryland 2A boys’ basketball ultimate incorporated two large pictures: the only described within the article by way of Tramel Raggs and the only recorded by way of Newton.
A useful studying instrument
I learn Ann Hornaday’s March 16 column, “A big loss if films are stricken from classes,” with large passion. I’m a retired particular training trainer who taught social research categories. I labored with scholars who had behavioral and emotional issues, and I used many motion pictures to lend a hand my scholars perceive the background of a historic duration. For instance, I used “Patton” (1970) and “Memphis Belle” (1990) to turn how American citizens had been curious about International Battle II. I used “The Seek” (1948) to turn how International Battle II affected odd electorate. Scholars cherished Rasputin in “Nicholas and Alexandra” (1971) and concept Paul Newman “ain’t unhealthy lookin’ ” in “Exodus” (1960). Folks signed permission paperwork for “Glory” (1989) and “The Killing Fields” (1984) as a result of they had been rated R. One pupil even wrote a letter to Dith Pran, who was once operating on the New York Instances, to inform him how brave he was once.
Those motion pictures weren’t on an authorized listing, and I’m positive that I’d no longer be allowed to make use of them these days. Perhaps some youngsters slept throughout the motion pictures or had no clue about what was once happening. However I know that a lot of them had been in a position to make use of the movies so as to add to their figuring out of historical past and the individuals who lived all through the ones classes.
What a disgrace that the usage of movie is disappearing in training.
Jane Taylor, Falls Church
The pandemic isn’t but over
The primary sentence of the March 14 editorial “Millions more lost” learn: “The pandemic was once worse than the reliable numbers display, and what sort of worse is now changing into extra obtrusive after two years.” This use of the straightforward previous “was once” implied that the pandemic is now over, which is obviously erroneous. To be extra correct, the sentence will have to have stated “The pandemic has been” or added a modifier that spoke particularly to the previous time mentioned, “The primary two years of the pandemic had been worse than the reliable numbers display, and what sort of worse is now changing into extra obtrusive.”
Submit native case numbers
Each day during the last two years, I’ve checked the Metro phase for the choice of coronavirus instances and deaths in Maryland (the place I reside and paintings) and the choice of instances in D.C. (the place my son lives and works, and my husband works). This knowledge has helped us make choices about what actions are secure. Now I to find that The Submit is publishing most effective the choice of new coronavirus instances in all the nation within the entrance phase. This variation was once made with none roughly rationalization to readers.
Despite the fact that I imagine that the numbers of instances in Maryland and D.C. are declining, I additionally imagine that the numbers are nonetheless top and value noting. I rely on The Submit for native and regional information, in addition to nationwide and world information; I believe it’s the newspaper’s legal responsibility to hide the previous in addition to the latter.
Margaret W. Blair, Rockville
Marie Yovanovitch didn’t fall or fail
As a retired senior Overseas Carrier officer, I should say the headline “The rise and fall of a U.S. ambassador to Ukraine” for David Ignatius’s March 13 Outlook overview of former ambassador Marie Yovanovitch’s memoir was once ill-conceived. Yovanovitch didn’t fall or fail. She carried out with the maximum dignity, honesty and professionalism below extraordinarily attempting instances.
A ways from falling, she succeeded within the very greatest custom of the Overseas Carrier.
A mirrored image on ceremonial dinner and famine
Was once it by way of design or twist of fate that two articles in regards to the harvesting of wheat seemed within the March 13 Submit, one appearing a promise of abundance, the opposite foreseeing a time of hardship?
Within the Arts and Taste phase, Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s portray “The Harvesters” was once superbly described by way of Sebastian Smee in his Nice Works: In Center of attention column, “As they reap, there is so much to see.” All is true on this global of fruitful exertions, shared success, the heat of neighborhood.
Against this, “Flour rationing, grain hoarding as the globe lurches toward a new food crisis,” an extract from These days’s WorldView publication by way of Anthony Faiola, described how the existing turmoil in Ukraine threatens the manufacturing of wheat. As a result of Russia and Ukraine in combination account for just about 30 % of global wheat exports, the location looms dire for the arena’s to be had meals provide, particularly within the Heart East. This newsletter despatched a message of pessimism and was once accompanied by way of a photograph of wheat being harvested in 2021, no longer a unmarried human being in sight. All isn’t proper on this global.
How other from the Sixteenth-century depiction of neighborhood and its imaginative and prescient of hope and optimism.
Jennifer Santley, Falls Church
I love Kathleen Parker and to find myself agreeing along with her extra steadily than no longer. I loved her March 13 op-ed, “Putin has thrown his country into reverse,” about her talks with Nina Khrushcheva, the great-granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev, the erstwhile first secretary of the Soviet Communist Birthday party. She concluded her piece relating to Khrushchev as a Soviet strongman.
However Khrushchev’s possible participation in a few of Joseph Stalin’s misdeeds or even his crushing of the Hungarian rebellion in 1956, he’s and will have to be remembered principal because the organizer of the 20 th Congress of the Soviet Communist Birthday party, which make clear the secrets and techniques and crimes of Stalin and ushered in a pivot from the previous and an immense development within the lives of all electorate in the entire Soviet bloc.
Below the class of “Why don’t you quilt x game?”, the major pro cycling race Paris-Nice was once held this month. The eight-day race is the primary foremost degree race in Europe. On March 10, U.S. racers Brandon McNulty and Matteo Jorgensen completed first and 3rd in Degree 5, the primary time a U.S. rider has gained a degree since 2013, when Andrew Talansky completed first in Degree 3.
It’s unlucky that The Submit can dedicate inches of area to an inventory of golfers who didn’t end a spherical in a rain-interrupted event, however there was once no point out of Paris-Great. Given the hot approval for bicycling, there are possibly many extra individuals who motorbike than golfing, plus the extent of health required to compete on the skilled biking degree is such a lot more than that required in skilled golfing. Simply take into consideration Paris-Great as a mini-Excursion de France. Day by day protection would had been favored.
