Space-saving efforts
I see your paper has dropped the Monday business section in order to save money. Allow me to present an alternative suggestion: Let's reinstate the Monday business section, and instead drop all of the weekly columns by Little Spanky Brummett, D-Hillcrest, along with the work of Philip (I get paid by the word) Martin. Imagine how much clean, empty space that would create. To aid the space-saving effort, stop printing anything written about the Clintons, especially photographs. These simple suggestions would restore useful news to your business readers.
Surely Spanky and Phil should be able to find work, like at the Arkansas Times; I understand they're in need of fact-checkers.
BERNARD A. FRAZER
North Little Rock
Barnes is enchanting
In response to Barbara Freeling's letter, "Befuddled by Barnes," I would like to endorse the Barnes Foundation Museum in Philadelphia.
I first visited it in 1983 in Barnes' house in Merion, a Philadelphia suburb. Three visits there and two since it moved into Philadelphia still rank it as one of my favorite small art museums anywhere. If you like impressionists and early 20th century artists, the Barnes is a delight. No, it is not the National Gallery of Art or the Art Institute.
Instead of seeing every painting at eye level, you will see a wall full of paintings from high to low. Yes, there are interspersed brasses, African objects, and occasional pieces of furniture, but they are only a distraction if you let them be. The largest collection of Renoirs in the world, scores of Cezannes, numerous Picassos and Matisses, not to mention dozens of other artists, yield an enchanting experience. Book ahead to avoid disappointment. And a Rodin museum is just down the street.
JOE JEFFERS
Arkadelphia
Mailbox's full of junk
This time of year is called begging time. Our mailboxes are stuffed with junk mail and magazines. If I get a letter in the mail with no return address, I never open it--I shred it. I was taught in school how to write a letter and always put a return address in the lefthand corner. If I receive a letter in the mail and do not recognize the address, I will shred it. This is my mailbox and I do not want junk in it. I shred two garbage bags of junk every month. What a waste of trees.
JULIA RANDLE
Jacksonville
Be leaders on climate
Climate-science deniers now stand on increasingly thin ice. As reported by the Washington Post, the Trump administration has released a major report finding "no convincing alternative explanation" for climate change--human activity is the dominant driver.
It is time for this administration to enact policies that align with the evidence at hand, and reflect our best assessment of the implications of inaction. This is not a time for politics. We must support all energy technologies with low to zero emissions, proportionate to their ability to perform cost-effectively. This includes first and foremost nuclear power, our single largest clean-energy source, as well as hydro, wind, solar and geothermal. We must strive to decarbonize the other energy sectors of the industrial process, transportation and space heating.
Crucially, we must also put a price on carbon. We can no longer use the atmosphere as an open sewer for free dumping of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. Doing so incurs a very real and substantial cost to society. This is a market failure which must be fixed. The best solution is a carbon fee and dividend; a steadily rising fee collected at the point of production for all fuels, based on their carbon content. The proceeds would be distributed directly to all citizens on an equal, per capita basis, thus offsetting increased costs of energy and encouraging reduced consumption. Industry will get a market signal to boost innovation of new technologies.
It's past time for serious action. Let's be a world leader. We can do this.
GARY KAHANAK
Fayetteville
Time-change impact
While complaining about changing the time twice a year and the negative impact on my internal time clock and the confusion about which clock is correct, Libby chastised me because it was the government's intervention to save energy for the public good. I have never noticed any personal energy savings over the past 50 years, but Libby assured me that it was true.
I thought if true, an expansion of the concept could be used for oven thermostats and save even more energy. The government could mandate that all oven manufacturers set the actual temperature 100 degrees lower than the temperature indicator. Then an oven set at 350 degrees would have a temperature of 250 degrees and save a bunch of electricity. Just think, the energy savings would be enormous!
To my amazement, Libby told me that this idea was preposterous because things would not cook properly by simply saying the temperature was 100 degrees more. Her exacerbations exploded when I asked if changing the time had no impact on the sun rising and setting, then why were we annually springing forward and falling back and confusing me and my internal time clock and causing everyone to spend unnecessary energy changing the time on their clocks.
STANSEL HARVEY
Hot Springs
Passing for football?
Well, I guess it is time to lose Long and permanently perplexed Bielema. I wonder who will fill the stands?
JOHN LEONARD
Fayetteville
Editorial on 11/07/2017