DIALOGUEletters
Odds and ends
Story was offensive

CHRIS A RUSNAK

I found Janice Taylor’s parody on “Our Lady of Weight Loss” [September Connection] to be an offensive attack on the religious beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church, my faith. Your magazine should not have printed an article showing such a rude parody on the highly serious and religious icon art of the Catholic Church. I doubt your magazine would have highlighted a similar attack on icons or images from Jewish or Islamic religions and I strongly resent and object to the Catholic Church once again being used as an object of ridicule.

Pat Giacomini, via e-mail

Debate goes on

In response to the September Debate, “Should girls and boys be taught in separate classrooms?”

Y ES. If boys and girls are separated, who is left to impress, or to distract each gender from daily lessons?

Jim L. Jensen, Grants Pass, Oregon

pound loss. The book is meant to inspire, motivate and support my fellow travelers on the road to weight loss.

Catholics have a beautiful and admirable relationship with the Virgin Mary—a relationship I deeply respect and honor. I have received very encouraging feedback from people of all faiths, including many Catholics. My artwork has been exhibited in the National Museum of Catholic Art and History in New York, and a large Catholic church in Texas asked me to donate 12 copies of Our Lady of Weight Loss for their fund-raising drive.

Our bodies are our temples, and I believe we honor our Creator by honoring His creation—that is, ourselves. I hope that Our Lady of Weight Loss can inspire people to take better care of themselves—inside and out.

I’m proud of my book and I’m proud that, in a violent and sometimes depraved world, I have been able to contribute a little love, support and laughter.

NO. Much depends on the skill of the teacher. Can he or she get the students to approach subjects in a neutral manner? And, most important, can he or she teach students to respect each other regardless of gender? I would like to see each student get exposure to the best characteristics of the opposite gender.

Martin Goldber, Hackensack, New Jersey

Janice Taylor responds:

When I was 8 years old, I weighed 113 pounds. Of my family, friends, teachers and even the milkman—not one of these influences from my childhood helped me feel comfortable in my own ample skin when I was growing up. Only when I visited the kind nuns at the Convent of Our Lady of Snow did my concerns about my weight melt away.

In honor of the sisters of Our Lady of Snow, I wrote Our Lady of Weight Loss: Miraculous and Motivational Musings from the Patron Saint of Permanent Fat Removal—a collection of fun and funny tales that highlight my 50-

You can read more Debate responses and letters from members in the Online Edition. Go to costco.com and click on “Costco Magazine.”

Flu shots

Costco again is offering flu and pneumonia shots in all U.S. warehouses this year. Flu shots are $18; pneumonia shots are $33.

Information about the shots is available at each warehouse’s pharmacy counter.

You can find scheduling information about the program online at www.findaflushot.com/costco.

Have something to say? Readers are encouraged to submit letters to our editors on any topic or issue covered in The Connection. Please include your full name and phone number or address. Send all letters to: Dialogue, The Costco Connection, P.O. Box 34088, Seattle, WA 98124-1088; fax to (425) 313-6718; or e-mail to dialogue@costco.com. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for publication.

CORRECTION The Novaform Elite Choice two-in-one mattress topper at Costco has 2¹/2 inches of memory foam on one side and 1¹/2 inches of microfiber fill on the other side. The figures were misstated in September’s “Buying Smart.”