Chic’s yo-yo competition; the word “amazing”; busy moms and their Latina maids

Stringing them along

Re “A city with a lot of pull,” Column One, Oct. 11

Who knew that Chico is the yo-yo capital of the world?

I would never have imagined that someone could get sponsored, become pro and make a living off the sport.

The tricks these pros are doing are mind-boggling. I can’t understand how 14-year-old Gentry Stein can literally jump over his tricks; I can barely conquer “cat’s cradle.”

Here’s another great example of an activity that has no barriers in terms of age, income or physical ability. It is refreshing to see how a nostalgic pastime can bring a sleepy little city to life.

And it’s great to see a generation of young people who are motivated to participate in competitions that are innocent and untainted by the modern professional sports world.

Chloe Davis

Woodland Hills

The world of wordplay

Re “a maz´´ ing: Like ‘awesome’ and ‘great’ before it, ‘amazing’ has lost its magnificence. It’s time to give it a rest,” Opinion, Oct. 11

Oh dear. If the use of “amazing” disappears, there goes one of our favorite pastimes. We love taking a pool on how many times the recipients of awards use the word “amazing” in their thank-you speeches — only to be topped by the “amazing journey” they have taken.

Helen Leven

Redondo Beach

I’m also upset about the way the word “amazing” has been misused.

I’m “literally” hopping mad about the way people abuse the English language today. We need to “reform” our use of words. “Actually,” I was going to say your piece was “awesome,” but you seemed to know I was going to use that word and you beat me to it. “Amazing.”

David Salahi

Laguna Niguel

The replacement for “amazing” is “perfect.” Or as is often heard, “perfect, perfect.” This may be in response to ordering a small Diet Coke or booking a fabulous vacation.

Nancy Warrick

Cambria

Thank you for your great, awesome and super-amazing essay. Well done. Entertaining. Insightful. Just plain good.

Luis Torres

Pasadena

It was great to read such an awesome article about the word “amazing.” I was getting tired of sounding like a Valley Girl. Now if I could only cure myself of raising my voice at the middle or at the end of sentence. But it is fun to confuse the listener because that type of inflection in the voice is usually reserved for a question, not a statement.

Ganka Brown

Laguna Beach

Michael Krikorian’s insights as to how we abuse the superlative “amazing” was simply phenomenal.

Sue Collins

Hermosa Beach

I think the author overlooked one glaring and insidious word that surpasses all others in its tedium: “cool,” which appears to be the first and last refuge of the unimaginative, the illiterate, the lazy and the dull.

It is a word that is used more often than not as a verbal knee-jerk response when the brain is locked in first gear and cannot or will not engage in real communication.

I am not suggesting permanent retirement of the word — although a 20-year banishment seems tempting — but rather a moratorium. I would hope many so afflicted might seek help from a dictionary, thesaurus or trained librarian to aid them in their withdrawal. Now that would be “neat.”

Phil Soinski

North Hollywood

As an educator, I pay special attention to language misuse. “Amazing” and “awesome” are annoying, but an even more nonsensical expression is “no problem.”

Recently, my wife and I encountered all three in a visit to a restaurant. We were told, when deciding what to order, of the “amazing” salads. I was paying for the meal in cash and was asked if I had an extra penny so that the change could be given in bills; my surrendering the penny was “awesome.”

We thanked the employee for the delicious meal, and are glad that it was “no problem.”

Sam Kane

Woodland Hills

‘Busy moms’ and their help

Re “Housekeepers’ employers are upset with Whitman,” Column, Oct. 8

I have always known that when applying for a job, one never falsifies an employment application; if one does and is hired, and the employer later discovers that the employee lied on the application, the employer would immediately and justifiably fire that employee.

I applaud Meg Whitman for firing Nicandra Diaz Santillan.

Dolores Brussin

Eagle Rock

I enjoyed Hector Tobar’s column on the Westside “busy moms” who employ Latina nannies and housekeepers.

I wish he had noted what time of day he interviewed all these career women, who apparently were just taking a few minutes from their exhausting executive jobs to shop and to laud their hired hands.

What was missing was this question: “Exactly what busy ‘career’ requires you, as a Beverly Hills ‘busy mom,’ to hire possibly undocumented Latinas to clean your home, polish your fine floors and help raise your children?”

Perhaps I missed something, but the only hint of a truly working woman I read about was a schoolteacher, and she was retired.

D.J. Fone

San Diego

Because you agreed to not use the names of the Brentwood mothers you interviewed for your article so that they could speak honestly, did you inquire whether any of the moms who “express compassion for the women [who work] in their nurseries and kitchens” paid anything into the Social Security system on behalf of these domestic employees they care so deeply about, so that those cherished employees would have some retirement benefits after their years of toiling?

Such payments are not a matter of generosity but rather are legally required. Surely the moms who purportedly spoke to you honestly would not sanctimoniously impugn Whitman for an upsetting lack of generosity toward Diaz Santillan while failing to make their own legally required employer contributions into the Social Security system?

True generosity could be demonstrated by such employers were they to pay their employees’ share of the contributions as well as the employers’ share.

Mark Arnesen

Newport Beach

Enough with the coverage of the illegal immigrant acting like she is a victim. She broke the law, so the question is when will she be arrested and deported?

That’s the coverage that should be on TV and in the papers.

As an extremely successful businessperson, Whitman has my vote. Hopefully she can turn California around before we are bankrupt.

Glenda Maddox

Irvine

Don’t forget your day job

Re “Russian leader fetes Schwarzenegger,” Oct. 12

Someone should advise Arnold Schwarzenegger that he is governor of California and not the mayor of Moscow.

It is amazing to me that while lawmakers are hacking and cutting everything in sight here, he goes to Moscow with a group of

23 American investors to promote “new economic partnerships”in a “Silicon Valley” over there.

The Silicon Valley here has plenty of empty commercial space.

This mentality is precisely what has killed off employment in this country. I don’t care if Russians have jobs. I care about American jobs.

Bob Begun

Ventura

Malibu’s water worries

Re “A rift over clean water in Malibu,” Oct. 12

Quite a few properties that back up to Malibu Creek and the lagoon use poisonous weed killer or keep their horse manure in piles, which during rainy season runs into the creek that flows into the lagoon. Could this cause part of the pollution?

In addition to the health of the surfers, we need to have respect for all life in the lagoon. Nature is fragile and should be treated, and restored, in a gentle way.

Valerie Sklarevsky

Malibu