Erik Assadourian, a senior fellow at the Worldwatch Institute, argued that formula should be phased out; Emily Maclean, a student midwife, responded that women should have the right to choose what is best for their child.
The word "formulaic" has come to have negative connotations, yet it must be remembered that formula lay at the heart of the invocative powers of all primitive magic, as it still lies at the heart of all religious ritual.
Our study suggests that formula feeding at this high volume may be related to rapid weight and height gains in the first 2 years of life.
Re "Going Bankrupt to Get a College Education" (Editorial Observer, April 20): After visiting the large, expensive, Eastern university to which my daughter was accepted, I am appalled at the formula that determines that a middle-class family like mine can pay $22,000 a year toward her education.
And we can look at the formula that got us here.
Most Americans can agree on at least two-thirds of that formula — women should be safe, and abortion should be rare — from the get-go.
Of course, variations on that formula are at least as old as Bugs Bunny and the Warner Bros. cartoons from the 1930's and 40's, which routinely lobbed knowing, often irreverent tidbits over the heads of children and into the laps of adults who recognized -- and appreciated -- the favor.
With eight major championships at age 28, that formula has worked well for Woods, the world's No. 1 golfer.
Think-tanks, looking at the formulas that fund schools and health programmes, put the projected outlays at $99 billion.How to close a $27 billion shortfall?
However, it is not at all clear that a formula approach is warranted at this point.
