Too Fruity
Re: "Cool by the Pool" a "Corkscrew" column by Taylor Eason (April 24-30)
I had to write before your wine section "Corkscrew" became any more silly. Please inform Taylor Eason that, despite what she may have read, it is wine, wine that she is drinking. There is no wine in the world that has a fruit salad of flavors going on pineapple, peach and watermelon. Get real. A pinot gris tastes like a type of wine, not pineapple. Wine is made from grapes. I have been reading "Corkscrew" since it started and it has become, now, too fruity to continue. Please put "Red Meat" and "Straight Dope" in the pineapple patch and discontinue the thinly disguised weekly wine advertisement called "Corkscrew."
David Cummins
Via e-mail
A Dog's Life
Re: Ad for greyhound racing (April 24-30)
I was very upset to see that you advertised greyhound racing a few weeks ago! greyhound racing is a very cruel and sick business, although most people would never realize it! Did you know an estimated 28,000 greyhounds are killed each year as the greyhound racing business struggles to stay alive. The greyhounds who do qualify to become racers at 18 months typically live in cages, some as small as three feet by three feet, for roughly 22 hours each day. Some are kept muzzled by their trainers almost constantly. Many exhibit crate and muzzle sores, and are frequently infested with internal and external parasites. Greyhounds are forced to race in extreme weather conditions from subzero weather to temperatures reaching over 100 degrees. When dogs slow down and become unprofitable most are either killed immediately or sold to research laboratories. At Colorado State University alone, from January 1995 to March 1998, a total of 2,650 unwanted racing greyhounds were donated to research by local breeders.
Amanda Jameson
Dunedin
Of the People
Re: "Discomfort Zone" by Fawn Germer
Fawn Germer, your column is great, especially because you aren't singing the same tired tune we got/get from Sugg, Ruth, Otto, Troxler or Mary Jo. It feels like you aren't one of them; you're one of us.
Steve Rodriguez
Via e-mail
Imagine
Re: "Israeli Pacifist" by Rochelle Renford (April 3-9)
I believe that the ultimate solution to the problem of achieving a real and lasting peace is simply manners. If the Palestinians and the Israelis remembered their manners, no one would be blowing up anyone at all ever. And no one would be laying siege to any city, holy or unholy, because it's just not polite to lay siege to a city. If we remembered our manners, airplanes would not be hijacked, and terrorism would not exist.
Imagine (to borrow a notion from another pacifist, Mr. Lennon) a world where people didn't cut in front of one in traffic, or commandeer one's parking space. Imagine a world where people didn't yell obscenities or other hostilities at friends or family, or at total strangers without provocation (because there would be no provocation, ever).
Imagine no priests breaking their holy vow of chastity and traumatizing little children by sexually abusing them. Imagine sales people being civil and companies treating their workers and stockholders with respect. Imagine no rape, pillage, murder or mayhem. Imagine manners and a world of goodness and mercy. It would be a gentle world, full of gentlemen and gentlewomen, gentle boys and girls.
Because we would all remember the Titanium Rule (which is like the Golden Rule, but the value never varies, and it's unbreakable): Be kind, loving, considerate and respectful to yourself and to others. Try to help others who need help (as you can manage to do so). Always be polite, and remember your manners. I imagine that such a world would be too calm, peaceful and quiet for those of us in need of constant chaos and complete control, so it's just a daydream, or a prayer, but it could happen. We could call it World Peace I.
J. Sterling
Via e-mail
This article appears in May 8-14, 2002.