Okay, maybe I was a trifle harsh in my criticism of the Newsweek hearing-loss cover story (May 30: "I Guess Half A Loaf Is Better Than None At All").  I probably should have noted that in addition to the deficiences I mentioned, the story was also the biggest, most complete and most prominent coverage of this vital issue in the 21st century so far.  I should have also noted that, with nearly half the story devoted to the many simple steps people can take to prevent hearing loss now and in the future, Newsweek actually made the deadly dull topic of prevention interesting -- a near-impossible feat.  Trust me, I know.  When prevention works, nothing happens -- there is simply no news to report.  One of my day jobs is Chief Marketing Officer of Outside The Classroom, Inc., developer of AlcoholEdu, a hugely popular online prevention program that has been taken by more than a quarter million college and high school students over the past three years.  Sure, the media run plenty of headlines when young people kill themselve binge drinking.  But when prevention works, how often do you see a headline that says, "Student Lives After Deciding Not To Drink 21 Shots On 21st Birthday"?  About as often as you see a headline that says, "Aging Baby Boomer Uses Earplugs: Hearing Still Fine."  So in addition to its other merits, the Newsweek story is especially valuable because it makes an airtight case for prevention, and does it in such an interesting and readable way.  Which brings me to the topic of this post.  An ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure, and 50 cents for a pair of earplugs is well worth the $50,000 you will save when you don't need a cochlear implant later in life.  And if you spend a little more for a pair of high-tech earplugs, you might even enjoy wearing them.