Your Letters
17:14 UK time, Thursday, 19 November 2009
As a medical statistician, I am usually very sceptical of any health stories, and usually find that once I look closely, the headlines aren't justified by the data. Today, however, I shall make an exception. is just obviously true and there is therefore no need for me to look behind the headline.
Adam, London, UK
Re : It's a good job you used the quotes. "Energy-saving bulbs' maximum brightness reduces over time, but not as badly as traditional bulbs." Doesn't trip off the tongue half as well.
Andrew, Malvern, UK
Extremely low temperatures may ? I left a bottle of Canadian whisky in the trunk of my car overnight several years ago, and there were pieces of ice floating in it by morning. Of course, it's possible that Edmonton gets colder than Antarctica.
Chris, Toronto, Canada
Re Paper Monitor's fascination with fascinators. Having recently worn a hat adorned with a fascinator to a wedding, the only purpose has to be decorative. Calling it a bow would have sufficed.
Candace, New Jersey, US
Monitor note: Terminology must be different on this side of the pond, where a fascinator is a rinky-dinky little hat. Or a bow/feather/flower in place of a hat.
With regards to the shortest ever Paper Monitor, I think this one is a serious contender.
Steve Bowman, London
0.7 miles in 4 minutes (Paper Monitor)? That's a very speedy 5.7mph!
Kathryn, London
Paper Monitor, if you can manage that I'll send you a whole pack of custard creams.
Mandy Nichols, Leeds
Paper Monitor replies: You're on - no, wait - I got in a muddle. It is 14 minutes.
So why make a statement?
Mary, Manchester, UK
To follow on the discussion (Wednesday letters), my late grandmother always insisted the plural of "poof" was "pooves". There was never any offence meant as she was describing her brother and his boyfriend.
Rob, London
I favour "roofs" because, unlike "hooves", I can't detect a vowel phoneme change in the plural form, but I imagine both are acceptable. English spellings haven't always been standard. On the other hand, Latin spellings were pretty consistent - which is why accede, succeed, concede, and yes, supercede, are usually spelled with a "c"- because the Latin verb is cedo, cedere (cessi, cessurus), meaning "to yield" (et al). Truce? Or must we continue to make trivial arguments and unfair insults over something as fluid and wonderful as language?
Nadja, Bostonian in Moscow, Russia
The 
