UMass Magazine Online

Spring 2005

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There Goes the Neighborhood

Fab Four

The Gravest Danger

The Wonderful World of Disney

Cooking Lessons

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Letters in print, Spring 2005

Flaxseed Awareness
Omega-3s play an important part in our life, and I laud Dr. Decker in his accomplishment (Winter 2005, “Algae a la Mode”).
One fact that is not recognized by the medical community, especially when testing men for high Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) and/or complexed PSA to total PSA, is that if the male is taking flaxseed oil the total PSA may double within a month.
This level is an indication of prostate cancer, and the false positive reading may lead to an unnecessary needle, much pain and emotional distress, and in some cases, removal of the prostate.
Men must manage their care and question test results, use alternative therapies (zinc, selenium, fish oil, vitamin A and E with calcium, B complex vitamins), and be retested after three months of conservative therapy.
I would like to see the data on Dr. Decker’s product as it progresses through Harvard Medical School. Perhaps Dr. Decker can make an analysis on how close the algae chemical composition is to flaxseed oil?
As I mentioned, some medical professionals do not know of the false positive reading generated by use of flaxseed oil. This may be a selling point and benefit when Dr. Decker’s product hits the market.

Walter J. Feszchak ’73
Cupertino, CA

Happiness is…
It was good to see Dick Bresciani ’60 (Winter 2005, “Basking in the Glory”) with such a big smile on his face—he deserves the good fortune he has had. Always hard working, always pleasant, always a general good guy, he worked the sports side at WMUA while I worked as a DJ.

Dick’s voice as the “color” for UMass games from 1956 to 1960 remains an
indelible part of my undergraduate experience and I believe him when he says with true sincerity that he is happy to see people happy.

Leland J. (Lee) Katz, ’60
Bellingham, MA

Fielding Compliments
I am a graduate of UMass and the Stockbridge School of Agriculture. I currently teach horticulture at Burncoat High School in Worcester. Your Winter 2005 issue, “Fields of Dreams” has some excellent articles related to horticulture and would make a great teaching resource. I am always trying to encourage my students to attend UMass and/or Stockbridge. I’d like to give one to each of my students.

Russell J. Anderson ’72
Horticulture Program
Burncoat High School
Worcester, MA
(We sent Mr. Anderson copies to share with his students.)

An Argument with Bite
The UMass Amherst magazine is a fine publication, and I look forward to its entertaining and informative articles, but I was dismayed at the total lack of awareness regarding nutrition and its relationship to dental health exhibited in the Winter 2005 issue. The article, “A Spoonful of Sugar,” was particularly distressing, as it seemed to advocate frequent sweets consumption focused on calorie concerns rather than dental health. The essay, “The Sweetest Thing” (page 80), seemed to reinforce the theme. Finally, the soft- drink ad on the inside of the back cover put the frosting on the cake, so to speak.

As a dentist for more than 30 years, I can attest to the extensive destruction of human teeth due to frequent exposure to the sugars referred to in the articles. A healthy set of teeth is essential to a quality life.

Peter C. Amorosi, DDS ’66, ’68G
West Yarmouth, MA

Can Coca-Cola
I’ve just finished reading the Winter 2005 issue of UMass Amherst magazine and want to compliment you on its attractive and informative content and design. I particularly enjoyed the Fields of Dreams section and am pleased to see the important agricultural work of UMass folks highlighted.

As I flipped through the back of the magazine, grazing on a class note here or there, I had a smile on my face and a warm spot in my heart for UMass. Then I got to the inside cover and saw the life-sized bottle of Coke. I felt like someone had just slapped me in the face. What is that ad doing in a magazine with virtually no other advertising? Coca-Cola is the antithesis of the values espoused in your articles. It is a huge global corporation known for its violent and environmentally destructive practices around the world. The ad makes it look like some nostalgic, wholesome food instead of the sugar-laden, fake chemical “beverage” that it is.

My respect for UMass Amherst magazine just plummeted. Instead of a well-done, informative issue, I saw it for what it really is: a glossy package to deliver however many thousands of UMass alumni to this advertiser.

I am aware that UMass recently renewed a multi-year, exclusive contract with Coca-Cola. Anyone who studies at, works at, or visits the UMass campus is inundated with images of red and white Coke logos. I also know that a group of students and community members tried to get UMass to choose another beverage provider to receive the contract, including the possibility of the Massachusetts-based company Polar Beverages.

Please cancel my subscription to UMass Amherst magazine. From now on, I will direct any contributions I might have made to educational organizations that have not been bought out by corporate criminals.

Mary McClintock ’89G
Conway, MA

I was quite disgruntled to see a full-page ad for Coca-Cola on the inside cover of an alumni publication I received in the mail the other day.

Coca-Cola engages in nefarious activity throughout the world, not the least of which is the murder of union workers in Colombia and the sucking of water out of communities in India. Would UMass sign a contract that places the university in a position of being beholden to a corporation that violates even the most rudimentary set of ethics? Unwittingly, perhaps.

I urge you to go and find out more about this and consider how the university can disentangle its relationship with Coke.

Paige Bridgens ’91
Northampton, MA

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Letters in print, Spring 2005

A question of ethics