M.I.A. challenges Hollywood norms
An impressive interview with M.I.A. by Radheyan Simonpillai (NOW, September 20-26). It was great to read about someone using their platform to help other people, but M.I.A also challenges the limited and superficial scope of what Hollywood considers an issue, a stance that is important to hear. Take the author’s advice and watch No Fire Zone. It puts the whole interview into context.
Robert Graham, Toronto
No Simple Minds, but Fleetwood Mac?
Re 10 Can’t-Miss Fall Concerts (NOW, September 20-26). I enjoyed your article but you somehow missed Simple Minds at the Sony Centre on Sunday, September 30.
I saw them in 1983 and 2012 (yes, I’m old) and they are spectacular live. Maybe write a review of the show if you attend?
BTW, I saw Fleetwood Mac in 1978 and am pretty uninterested.
Brian Spanton, Toronto
Jian Ghomeshi needs to own up
Personal disclosure: I was a heroin addict for over 15 years. I stole from people and lied to them. I understand what Jian Ghomeshi needs to go through in terms of reconciliation, recovery and owning up to your shit (NOW, September 20-26).
Until you can actually say out loud all the shitty things you did, you will never have that moment he refers to in his article in the New York Review of Books, where you feel something shift, because he still doesn’t believe it himself.
Perhaps in a few years he will wake up and genuinely feel his mistakes. I wish him and the people who were affected by him well.
Larissa Ziesmann, From nowtoronto.com
Looking to artists for political inspiration
Dionne Brand says, “We’re burning up the planet” (NOW, September 13-19). Indeed. But support for climate action from one of our leading authors is uplifting. Earlier social movements for peace and civil rights looked to artists for inspiration and guidance. So do we now in Ontario.
Thank you, Professor Brand.
Gideon Forman, Toronto
Tagaq offends this vegetarian
You devoted three pages to an interview with Tanya Tagaq in which she refers to those who encourage Indigenous people not to hunt “righteous pricks” (NOW, September 13-19). Unhappy veggie reader.
George Goldberg, Toronto
Can John Tory save T.O. from Doug Ford?
So NOW is buying into the politics that John Tory is, well, old hat (NOW, September 20-26). Doug “The Thing” Ford has displaced mass transit, affordable housing, poverty eradication and, ironically, any progressive issue in the current municipal campaign. Like Lucy, he offers the hope of progress to the Charlie Brown Toronto vote. And like Lucy, he always yanks it away at the last minute so the Toronto voter does a derrière plant.
Tory beat Ford in the last mayoral election. He has deep ties to the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (hah!). I am hoping he can prevail on them to either rein in or dump Doug. Doug is premier of Ontario only as long as he is leader of the PCPO.
Moses Shuldiner, Toronto
Ford could have been straight with voters
The hits by Doug Ford’s regressive conservatives just keep coming, and not in a good way.
First there was an inside-the-party Patrick Brown takedown resulting in a bait-and-switch con-job leadership win. Then came the brutal revenge-inspired sneak attack on city council.
Ford’s knee-jerk reaction against Superior Court Justice Edward Belobaba’s judgment supporting citizen Charter rights has exposed our petty-minded premier as the big “for the people” fraud he truly is.
Only deluded Ford supporters, pumped by his Toronto Sun media enablers, could believe it took courage to invoke the Charter’s notwithstanding clause. If Ford had real cojones, he would have been straight-up during the spring election campaign about his plan for city council, but he failed to do so.
Robert McBride, Thornhill
Voters need help to sort out election chaos
There have been umpteen articles decrying what Doug Ford did to local democracy in Toronto, but we are facing a 25-seat election now, so we need help, NOW Magazine.
Ward by ward, who will progressives have to support to send the message to Ford that the 25-seat council he created will give him a worse ride than he could have expected? Help us sort it out, please!
Raymond Li, Toronto
