More time for recess, please

I must compliment Deb Kollars on her well-researched story about cutbacks to children's recess and lunch times ("Twin Rivers parents question cutbacks to lunch and recess," Page A1, Sept. 1). Teachers are aware of the No Child Left Behind Act and the pressure it has imposed on children to achieve at ever-higher levels. The act does little to address the physical and emotional needs of children and the effect they have on academic performance.

Teachers have been working under extreme demands since unification officially began in July at Twin Rivers Unified School District. Most agree that a few more minutes added to the lunch period and recess would benefit children and teachers.

It is difficult for children to navigate a cafeteria line, eat and still have time for play in the 30 minutes allowed. Teachers are on point from the moment children enter school to the closing bell, often staying hours after the children leave.

I urge the district to reinstate the additional minutes the children need to eat and interact socially, and look for ways to improve test scores.

– Janice Auld, Rocklin

Money talks in politics

Re "BINGO! The long and winding road of a bill" (Page A3, Sept. 3): This article contains a disturbing message: The California Indian tribes have become so powerful that they can control legislation that they believe will affect their gambling enterprises' bottom line. As the article points out, the tribes gave $656,700 to 70 of the 120 members of the Legislature. In politics, money talks.

The issue here is whether charities and churches can legally operate electronic bingo games. The tribes claim that these games are really slot machines and that they, the tribes, have the exclusive right to operate slots under the law. They believe that if electronic bingo games are allowed, the state will be in violation of the compacts it has with the tribes, and they threaten to withhold payments they have agreed to make to the state under those compacts.

If the legislators had any courage, they could approve these electronic devices and tell the tribes that, if they withhold payments, the governor would cancel the compacts, and that would force the tribes to renegotiate or close their casinos.

It would be refreshing to see the members of the Legislature show some backbone for a change.

– W.B. Clinch, Roseville

Wind and solar are right and ready

Readers should understand the essential importance of the solar and wind industries to solving our energy crisis ("Industry hinges on tax credits' fate," Page A5, Sept. 1). Wind and solar are two of only a few solutions that are ready, right now, to deploy in massive quantities. They can both be distributed for on-site generation and centralized so our utilities can replace their old polluting power plants.

Eight different times, the U.S. Senate has failed to get the tax credit extended because the oil industry, in a season of record profits, is not willing to shift just a tiny part of its own massive tax benefits. Next time you see one of those soothing TV ads about how the oil companies are supposedly addressing global warming, remember, what they are really doing is fighting against solar and wind power.

– Liz Merry, Davis

Breast self-exam saved her

I was very distressed to read the article about the controversy over breast self-exams and whether they might do more harm than good ("A touch of uncertainty," Health and Fitness, Aug. 31). It was 1987 at the ripe age of 30 when I started doing monthly breast exams. I found a lump three months later that felt different from previous exams, but the mammogram was completely normal. Fortunately, I decided to have a biopsy, and it revealed a very aggressive, albeit early stage (I) breast cancer. Surgery and chemotherapy were necessary.

Fast-forward 20 years, and I'm still here and incredulous at the notion that breast self-exams may not save lives. If it weren't for my own exam, I wouldn't be here today reading the article and blessed with a 16-year-old son. While it's true that seeing one's health care provider regularly and having routine mammograms as medically indicated are just as critical for early detection, any suggestion that breast self-exams may not save lives is preposterous.