Letters to the Editor
scargo
Published Letters: 12 Editor's Choice: 2
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and what about half of humanity?
[Read the article: Going beyond God]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Ms Armstrong does not mention that almost all the religions she admires so much are patriarchal institutions where women are definitely second-class citizens.
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King Kaufman"s subjects
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]We, his subjects, must put up with his boring articles on subjects that no one cares about. He never (almost never) writes about baseball, he goes on and on and on and on about basketball games that few care about.
Could Mr. Kaufman get with it?
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Musical mysteries unsolved
[Read the article: "This Is Your Brain on Music"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Here's the latest attempt to explain why music continues to be an extremely attractive diversion to many (but not all) humans. Of course listening to music will produce some brain activity correlates, it wouldn't be surprising to find the same brain activity when listening to a garbage truck's sounds. Our brains try to find patterns...duh.
It's been known for a long time that one's response to music is largely culturally biased and learned at an early age. I'm from a generation that grew up with non-verbal, tonal European music, and that's still my favorite variety. However I know now that the European era was an aberration. Music almost always involves words, and a lot of music before during and after that era isn't tonal.
Judging by the Salon article, this book isn't saying anything particularly new -- I can't find any breakthrough concept here as to why music continues to be such an attraction to humans.
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can't be misogyny
[Read the article: Beyond the Multiplex]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yes, it's true that Lazarus (Jackson), an embittered sharecropper and semiretired bluesman whose wife has run off with his brother, keeps Rae (Ricci), a girl known throughout the county for her generosity, chained up and padlocked in his house for much of the film....
Some viewers will doubtless disagree, but I see no misogyny at the heart of "Black Snake Moan."
Who could possibly think it's misogyny????????
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here we go again
[Read the article: God and gorillas]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Salon keeps running articles about the Big Questions. The main result is that some impressive replies come in. Salon apparently has some really cool, intelligent subscribers.
As for Barbara King, her comments about apes are truly fascinating. As many others have pointed out, she seems to confuse the differences between "spiritual" (e.g., wonderment at the universes) vs. "religious" (e.g., subscribing to some particular set of beliefs).
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annoying Simms & violent ads
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I cringe whenever Phil Simm's irritating commentary starts, and it starts immediately after every play. Can't CBS send him to a voice teacher? Of course, even if his delivery could be made palatable, there's the larger problem of the boring content, restating the obvious every single time.
The Snickers ad was definitely homophobic, and the Bud Light spots were, as usual, very coarse. But the thing that really stood out was the unrelenting violence in so many of the ads. The NY Times interpreted this as a reaction to the Iraq war. That's kind, but it's doubtful the motivation was so sophisticated. The ad agencies simply believe that violence sells, especially for a football audience.
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awful writing
[Read the article: Hollywood gets humble]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]How does a second-rate writer like Cintra Wilson get to be featured in Salon? Her article should have appeared in The Star or some other tabloid where readers appreciate anti-gay innuendos, Texas-bashing, name-calling, lame attempts at wit and ham-handed remarks about the sexual allure of various individuals.
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What do you mean by "musician"?
[Read the article: I'm dying to be a musician]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]If you mean you're willing to take lessons and practice to the point where you can play enough to enjoy yourself, then you don't need inborn talent.
But if you want to be a real musician, a person whose life revolves around music because they can't help it, you have to be born with that kind of talent.
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L Word - can't wait for next season
[Read the article: I Like to Watch]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]L Word has the best actresses in the business, and keeps getting more of them. It also has the best love scenes on TV, and some very funny scenes interspersed throughout.
So what's the problem with Heather?
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why do they always yell "Allah"?
[Read the article: Inside the minds of killer doctors]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]OK, so some say these killers are motivated by hatred of western invasion of Arab lands (most recently Iraq), and others say these murderers are primarily haters of western consumerism, predating Iraq.
It seems the one thing the bombers have in common is that, at the moment they unleash their hatred, they all start yelling "Allah is great" or just "Allah", or some variant of this. I see this crazy anti-human behavior as warped, crazed religiosity. They're brainwashed early on to believe that their religion (Islam) is THE TRUTH, and anyone who believes differently (the Other) is sub-human. After that, any excuse (foreign occupation, consumerism, undressed women, etc.) can be justification to kill innocent people who personify the Other.
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Gay -- GOP -- ?????????????
[Read the article: The gay voter's guide to the GOP]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Any gay person who is a Republican is like a Jew who liked Hitler.
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Terrific TV series
[Read the article: "Ab Fab" ... in church!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Thank you for the review. I agree that Clatterford ("Jam and Jerusalem" in the UK) is marvelous -- one of the most endearing, beautifully written and acted TV series in recent memory. It's amazing that Jennifer Saunders wrote this as well as AbFab and the superduper series "Vivienne Vyle". She's an amazing talent.
If you haven't seen Clatterford, be a little patient. After the 1st episode I wasn't sure I liked it. After the 2nd, I wanted to see more, and after the 3rd I was completely hooked. The second season is even better than the first, let's hope an American DVD comes out for that also.