Your Letters

15:01 UK time, Thursday, 18 January 2007

Re: The Big Brother racism row. I remember in a previous series, one contestant was being abused for having red hair. I was taunted, bullied and battered at school for the same thing. But we redheads are not a race so we get no protection. So-called comedians are free to go on TV and make vile jokes about us. If they replaced the word "ginger" with "black" or "irish" their careers would be over. I get verbally abused by strangers on the street. People are stupid, and ignorant, but to say "racism = bad, other abuse = fine" is pathetic.
Rebecca, Cambridge

About the only good news to come out of the endless Big Brother stories is that, despite all the publicity, nearly 93% of the British population still chose not to watch the last episode.
Valerie, Wigan, UK

Regarding the body hair story. I’m male aged 53 and have shaved my underarms for as long as I can remember. It seems a very logical thing to do for reasons of hygiene as well as removing unsightly hair. I don’t shave my arms and legs because there doesn’t seem to be any point, but I do keep intimate areas shaved, again for reasons of hygiene. Does anyone know what percentage of men shave underarms?
Ian

Re: Handbags and their contents. The best thing to carry is a primed mouse trap to stop men trying to find out what you have in there.
Vanetia, Dartmouth, Devon

Never mind men not having a clue about the contents of a woman's handbag, Chadra, I'm a woman and I was pretty baffled at the contents of yours: a piece of hollow bone and a spare pair of kickers?? I won't ask...
Sue, London

Tim McMahon is right, all must defer to Mary Poppins . But not to be pernickety (oh, who am I kidding), technically what she carries is in fact a carpet bag. Whatever happened to them?
Suz, Southend

Tim, apologies for being a pedant, but Mary Poppins carried a carpet bag rather than a handbag. It was, however, smaller than most of today's women's handbags.
Basil Long, Newark, Notts

tO SAM. tHERE'S A GREAT WAY TO AVOID THIS - IT'S CALLED LOOKING AT THE SCREEN!
oOPS!!
Andrew, Eastbourne

Patsy, Sheffield: I currently have the worst song ever in my head it is 'Snow' with Informer - "a leaky boom boom now". Is there any way i can download it to my generic mP3 player and get it out of my head?
Steve Elsworth, nantwich

I too often get random songs stuck in my head, rather like a renegade radio station. Yesterday it was La Cucaracha. But at least i know where it came from - a generous work colleague wanting to share her pain.
Sarah, Edinburgh

Stoo - I think the phrase you are looking for is In Loco Parentis.
Rob McKay, Banbury, UK

Re: Stoo, the phrase you are looking for is "Reverting to Type"
Caroline, Southend, UK

To Stoo, I think the word you are looking for is postaegism.
Nick Rikker, Barcelona, Spain

How come every time I turn on the television there is a reality program featuring celebs. I now live in fear that one day I will switch on my PC, open the MM section and find Celebrity Caption Competion or PunoStararama
Tony Doyle, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire

Ahh, another clue... Paper Monitor says "go figure".. could s/he be, no surely not, American?
Fran, UK