Piercing article presents inaccuracies

I was very disappointed after reading the "Pleasure and Pain" articles. While both articles appeared to be researched, there were a few critical mistakes that need to be cleared up. The first occurred in "Pleasure and Pain" in regard to the clitoral hood piercing being referred to as a piercing which goes through the clitoris. A clitoral hood piercing goes through the clitoral hood, which is the tiny bit of skin that covers and protects the clitoris. A piercing where the clitoris itself is pierced is called a clitoral piercing and is extremely rare as very few women are built for such a piercing. In addition, there are very few piercers skilled enough to successfully carry out such an advanced piercing. In the article "Body art tips: safety first, second, always," the writer advised those healing piercings to regularly wash the piercing with alcohol. Alcohol should never be used to clean a piercing. In addition, the author made it sound as if kleoids were a common healing problem. However, kleoids themselves are extremely rare. What most people believe to be kleoids, among other things, are hypertropic scars which are caused by trauma to the piercing, such as bumping the jewelry. These are easily dealt with and while removing the jewelry may stop them from getting bigger, it will not make them go away. Only diligent aftercare and properly fitting jewelry will solve that problem. Just because a piercing doesn't heal properly, doesn't mean it won't. The road to a healed piercing is usually a long and trying process, but a very rewarding one. Furthermore, the metals that should be used for a piercing are surgical stainless steel, titanium, niobium, or occasionally gold. I would direct anyone with piercings or anyone planning to get them to the Association of Professional Piercer's Web site - www.safepiercing.org - as well as BME - www.bmezine.com - in order to learn more about the types of piercings available, their risks, and healing recommendations.

Jennifer Kanc
microbiology senior

Tort reform is no small matter

Dillon Fishman's defense of the current tort system is misleading. Our tort system drains $200 billion from the U.S. economy each year. The median jury award in malpractice cases exceeds $1 million, which is more than adequate for the starving litigator. Meanwhile, skyrocketing insurance premiums have forced many obstetricians and specialists out of business. Furthermore, the hidden costs of fraudulent malpractice claims may be much greater than the insurance premiums. More than 70 percent of doctors order unnecessary tests and treatments simply to avoid being sued.

The current efforts at tort reform are not a payoff to the insurance industry. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, lawyers and law firms have been the largest campaign contributors for every national election cycle from 1990-2002, a total of $470 million donated, with an average of 72 percent going to Democrats. It would seem the Democrats have a financial interest in blocking tort reform. Moving class-action lawsuits to federal courts stops the egregious practice of venue shopping, where the suits are filed in cities known for sympathetic courts or what famous tobacco lawsuit attorney Dickie Scruggs calls magic jurisdictions. Legitimate complaints will still be held in court; nobody will be denied that. However, the likelihood of another $10 billion verdict from a small town in Illinois will be diminished.

Sam Schofield
applied mathematics graduate student

Likins should share burden of tuition raise

I think that it is disgusting that Likins is proposing another tuition increase, especially when he makes $503,394 per year! Why doesn't he, and all of the other people involved with the over-paid administration take a cut in pay, in order to help save on costs? That would be one small step towards reducing the over blown costs of students receiving an education at a non-inflated price. Likins is not worth that much money. At the least, if he wants to raise tuition by another 10 percent, he should take a 10 percent cut in pay.

Charlie Touseull
history senior

Mall preacher gives Christians bad name

I hope that no one listening to Brother Jeb Smock this week mistakes his insulting speeches for the message many Christians are trying to spread on this campus. We serve a loving God who reaches out to the lost so he can heal them, not one who likes shouting obscene abuses at those who disagree. The message of Christ is called gospel - that is, good news - not because it is all about condemnation, but rather because it is about forgiveness, about overcoming evil and receiving a richer, free, more joyful way to live in this world and the next.

Ryan Wilkinson
history graduate student

Mall evangelist tells lies

I wish to apologize to students who had to hear Jed Smock and his sexist and racist attacks. I do this because he is not speaking the truth. He is not representing Christianity, he is demeaning it, by making Christians look like judgmental hypocrites who think people of Jewish heritage, Muslims and women are all useless. Of course, all people can be judgmental at one time or another, but it has been my experience that the Christians I know have never been anything but loving and caring to me, even though I didn't believe.

The majority of Christians I know disagree with Mr. Smock's beliefs. It is considered a fact that Jesus was a Jewish person, and that some of his followers were women. So this man is in the wrong for stating opinions that are contradictory to the truth.

In Christianity, it is taught that we should all care for each other as we would like to be cared for. Mr. Smock does not represent this at all when he personally attacks others. It is one thing to correct someone, another to insult them entirely. What this man preaches is not the Christian message, and I ask that if you are interested in learning what Christianity is about, you should go elsewhere, and not listen to this man's lies. If you aren't interested in hearing about Christianity, I ask that you do not judge all Christians based on what this one man is like. It is my belief that Christians and non-Christians alike should respect each other's beliefs. We should not waste time paying attention to speakers like Mr. Smock, but should seek to discuss any issues with respect, and not with bigoted opinions and disrespect.

Jacob White
computer science junior