US safety standards not foolproof

On the face of it, the importation of cheaper fertiliser was an excellent gesture to assist our nation' s farmers. However, at the local level, the Bureau of Standards, Scientific Research Council, etc., should have been in the mix in the verification of the product to our standards.

It is dangerous to assume that US standards are foolproof and can never be compromised. A case in point is the contaminated peanut products made in the US that had to be recalled after being exported. If one monitors the cable news networks, one would realise that agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, have been severely criticised by the American public because of a recent spate of food-borne illnesses. We should not rely too much on American standards to protect ourselves.- Michael Bramwellmbramwell @ utech. edu.jmKingston 6

Music is our life

Why is the Broadcasting Commission being so hypocritical on the types of songs banned from the airwaves? If some more research was done on some of the hip hop and R&B songs we would find out that the words used in these songs are not fit for airplay either.

To date, the commission has lashed out at dancehall and soca music only. The problem that I am having with the Broadcasting Commission is that they do not seem to understand that this is our culture.

This us not to say that everyone of them is fit for airplay, but it may be that listening to music is the only way that some of us can relieve stress. From my own experience, if I don't have some form of music to listening to, I can't study. Additionally, music is the only avenue open to some young people to make a decent living.

- Wayne Morgan

Rockfort Vocational Training Centre

Ban violent movies too

I went to watch Slumdog Millionaire recently and during the previews of coming movies I was subjected to an orgy of violence in the form of Jason. I know that horror movies are an art form designed to create fear. In these times, however, I do not think that a public cinema is the arena to highlight the pleasure of chopping a beautiful young woman to death. The whole spectacle jarred my spirit, as it was designed to do. This is not the kind of thing we want to expose to our children or our overly murderous population at this time. I say ban these extremely violent movies in public places.

- Brad Edwards

drbradedwards@yahoo.com