Letters from our Members

Calculate This!

This is about your “Calculate This” Editor’s Note on page 4 of the last issue. I have been a member since 1986, and through the years I have used the card for road service, hotel reservations, TripTiks and maps. Nowhere have I ever learned about discounts from Target, Barnes and Noble or Circuit City. It appears to be a well-kept secret,―at least to me. Do you have some literature that lists all of the companies that provide the discounts you describe?
—Arnold Seamon
Weston, FL

Editor’s Note: AAA is very proud of its Show Your Card & Save program, which offers members exclusive discounts at over 160,000 merchants worldwide. We’re thrilled you’ve saved on hotels and more, but we hope from now on you’ll use your card for everyday savings. Discover all the savings available at AAA.com/Save or pick up your AAA Savings Guide at your local AAA office.

It’s Decalcomania!

In my opinion, it is unfortunate that the author of your last Double Take didn’t know what a decal is. It is the short word to represent the phrase decalcomania, and is always a paper or cellulose product. It is definitely NOT metal. Yes, there used to be metal AAA logos, but they were not decals by definition.
—Larry E. Price
Via e-mail

Editor’s Note: Thank you for taking the time to research this word and for setting us straight. As you say, a decal, taken from the word decalcomania, cannot possibly be metal. It can be transferred to metal (per Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary), but is not, in itself, metal. It’s nice to know people are reading and keeping us on the mettle!

Scuba Do

I enjoyed your column on “Scuba Do” and have been meaning to commend you for doing this. I, as a lady in the early summer of my 60s, got certified as an Open Water Diver in Belize two years ago, something I’d always wanted to do. I was thrilled to read about your successful adventure. Bravo!
—Bonnie Kogos
Hollywood, FL