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Jesus is all right with me
robert priest’s gimme santa over
Jesus (NOW, December 19-25) is clever and funny, and probably doesn’t warrant an earnest reply, but it seems to underscore a lot of misplaced bad feeling around these days.
Let’s stop condemning Jesus for the holy wars and various horrors committed in his name — horrors, it need not be pointed out, over which Christianity has no monopoly.
The ancient myth of the child of light born into times of darkness gives people spiritual sustenance now as ever, not a fat man crawling down the chimbley with a bag of goodies.
The notion of the Church as a bastion of repressed sexuality originates with Paul, not Jesus. Nowhere in the Gospels will you find an injunction against the pleasures of the body.
Steve Paul Simms
Toronto
Lovin’ the off-the-cuff fluff
is it just me or are the letters to
the editor the best part of NOW?
It’s really a toss-up between the letters joust-fests and that sick feeling I get whenever I read the I Spys.
I’m such a fan of the letters section that I just had to write one of my own. But what to write?
A quick glance through the last issue reveals the usual assortment of tired rants and insular insights that far too often, and sadly, pass for “alternative.”
Last time I checked the dictionary, “alternative” wasn’t a synonym for “bush-league.”
Journalism, in the troubled teen sense, is a more accurate description of the off-the-cuff fluff that passes as content in NOW.
But, then, what else should I expect from a publication that profits off the backs of unpaid interns? “Think Free,” indeed. Happy holidays!
Steve Smith
Toronto
Scandal teaser
shameless to the end (now, de-
cember 5-11) failed to mention the address, dates and times of the MFP inquiry for our collective future viewing pleasure.
NOW is no better on this score than the local dailies. Schadenfreude aside, it sounds like this scandal’s entertainment value is better than TV. Too bad the press is spoon-feeding us yet again. Maybe children do get the gifts they deserve.
Max Blanco
Toronto
What’s OPP covering up?
in recent articles you have made
several excellent points, especially regarding Jeff Lyons and allegations around illegal campaign contributions.
But there appear to me to be a few avenues still worth investigating.
Why, for example, did lawyers from the attorney general’s office advise the OPP that the alleged offence was too “technical” or “minor” for charges to be laid? Were the AG lawyers acting independently or under political direction?
And why do the same names with provincial connections — James Ginou, Chris Hodgson and Tony Miele — keep popping up?
Ms. Susan Cross has sworn that Lyons, a lawyer and her employer, directed her to commit an offence. We assume that Cross is telling the truth. Otherwise, there would have been a defamation suit from Lyons or a public mischief charge laid by the OPP.
Bruce Budd
Toronto
Put a sock in it
re jan burton’s incessant mis-
guided rantings. Would you please, for the love of god, please shut up?
Kelly Bailey
Toronto
What democracy looks like
i thought our city was a demo-
cracy, where our voices are heard through the voices of elected officials. This does not seem to be true, even while taxpayers’ money is footing the bill for the largest and most expensive municipal police force in Canada.
In April I witnessed a police assault on a young boy in broad daylight around Yonge and Gerrard. I watched and listened to the cries of anguish. Again, in front of about 30 witnesses, Metro’s finest blatantly violated our civic trust in them.
This incident motivated me to lodge a complaint against the police. I found out first-hand what a farce the complaints system is.
My written complaint was acknowledged, but in a letter from the chief’s office I was told it would be ignored because I “was not directly involved in the circumstance.”
City council knows what is happening and, it seems, in their silence and lack of action are too lazy or afraid of the police to act. I know, because I reported what I witnessed to all the city councillors and the mayor. And nothing has changed.
Greg LeBelle
Toronto
City passing the buck
the week before last, i received
a letter from the city saying the property taxes for my apartment have gone down and if I had any questions I should call the Federation of Metro Tenants Associations.
I still have not received a reply to the message I left on their mailbox system that day.
I called the city tax department, and they told me I should only be dealing with the Federation. Why doesn’t the city want to explain my city property taxes to me?
Gangadai Persaud
Toronto
It’s a jungle out there
i have noticed that your news-
paper tends to follow tenant issues. Since I am a homeowner, I’ve not paid much attention. Recently, however, something horrible happened to my brother and his new wife.
They live in an apartment that occupies the second floor of a house in Parkdale. There is a third floor that’s accessed through their apartment and is technically part of their apartment. My brother’s arrangement with the landlord is that it is kept sealed off.
When my brother informed the landlord that his wife would be moving into the apartment, the landlord attempted to increase the rent by 27 per cent. Of course, my brother fought this and it did not happen.
Yesterday, my brother and his wife were told that the landlord has decided to rent the third floor to family members, even though it’s uncertain whether the space can pass for a legal unit, since there’s no kitchen.
As I’m about to sell my house and become a renter again, I’m disgusted with what I may have to put up with out there in this city.
Trasie Sands
Toronto
Tweaking the Globe’s nose
tweaking the lengthening nose
of the Globe and Mail for publishing a recent feature on, gulp, death is all in good fun (NOW, December 5-11). Aging dailies probably benefit from a little cold water now and again. Maybe what the Globe needs, to keep a youth-charged, well-buffed NOW from muscling in and taking over, is a balancing feature on babies.
Geoff Rytell
Toronto
Make the TTC free
what planet are we on when we
simultaneously hear about looming transit fare hikes and plans by the city and two other levels of government to waste $175 million of taxpayers’ money (already allocated!) to build a six-lane “freeway” — more like expensive-way — to extend Front Street?
This proposal violates both the city’s new Official Plan and the province’s Smart Growth Panel initiative to reduce car dependence.
Virtually every public transit experience I have is an insult, a waste of time and money and a keen reminder of why I ride a bicycle.
When Hasselt, a Belgian city, was short of money, it abandoned road-building plans, closed some existing roads, added bike- and walkways and made public transit free. Free! Public transit use then increased by 800 per cent, business flourished, taxes were cut and the city gained residents.
Anne Hansen
Toronto
Tricky anemia
in covering the topic of anemia
(NOW, December 5-11), you provided helpful tips for handling nutritional anemia but neglected to mention the problem of anemia as it affects those living with chronic diseases.
Thousands of Canadians have anemia as the result of living with conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, Hep C, HIV/AIDS or rheumatoid arthritis.
People who live with a chronic disease usually assume that their fatigue is due to their illness, when often it’s due to anemia, and can be treated effectively.
Whether the best treatment is “erythropoietin” medication, blood transfusions or iron or vitamin supplements, it’s vital that those with chronic diseases monitor their blood counts.
Durhane Wong-Rieger
President & CEO, Anemia Institute for Research & Education
Hezbollah second thought
regarding b’nai brith’s push to
have the feds add Hezbollah to Canada’s list of terrorist organizations. Are we sure Israel Bonds do not support weapons or subsidize illegal settlements?
Audrey Fernie
Toronto
The real evildoers
the hawks at nato, terrified that
the collapse of communism would bring the military industrial complex to a halt, have now repositioned themselves into an alliance dedicated to fighting evildoers from whatever resource-rich country they come from.
Leading the charge is George Bush. Currently, the United States is close to spending more on its military than the next 20 largest militaries combined.
They generate far too much surplus to just send it all to regional powers helping to fight our enemies.
Who can believe that increasing spending on a highly resource- and energy-intensive military in order to protect our rights to dwindling resources and energy supplies will ever lead us to peace with the other inhabitants of this world?
Greg Bonser
Toronto
Food critic bites
a professional food writer
should take the time to write about food quality and service instead of the value of housing and luxury cars.
Steven Davey comes across as an unprofessional hack who should be writing the personals at the back of your paper as opposed to the restaurant reviews.
Sally Chiu
Toronto
High-priced Canuck talent
i was in a couple of music stores
recently and was disturbed to find that CDs by two young Canadian bands (Grindig from Toronto, and Pepper Sands from Vancouver) are selling for over $25 each. Why is this? They can’t be considered imports.
Those who suffer the most from these prices are ultimately the bands. Why don’t the labels get together with the record stores to create a Canadian music display where the artists can have their material sold at reasonable prices? This would in turn make consumers more aware of the talent we have here in Canada.
Shouldn’t we be promoting our own music so some of these bands can become household names?
Cavin McKelvey
Toronto
Johnson put on great show
real nice article on johnnie
Johnson (NOW, December 5-11). Too bad the writer was at a different show. For a guy who’s 78 years old, Johnnie put on a great show.
Why would he play the tunes he did for Chuck Berry? The bill said “Johnnie Johnson.” I, for one, will no longer be reading or supporting your magazine in any way, shape or form. I’ll be telling everyone I talk to the same thing.
Replies from unhappy readers, I imagine, are your goal.
Keith Hotchkiss
Cambridge
