Letters to the Editor
Brulette
Published Letters: 27 Editor's Choice: 6
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Boring, boring, boring . . .
[Read the article: Goodbye to the Fix, for now]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]More tech covereage? More political coverage, especially re the upcoming presidential election? Puhleeze! I love Salon, but trust me, you guys are already choking on political coverage, and you want to add more? Despite wealth of coverage on celebrity gossip, there is also quite a substantial amount of information available online regarding the upcoming presidential election, especially in light of having a woman and a black man as presidential contenders. Salon is already doing a good job in covering the upcoming presidential election in addition to a variety of other pertinent things in the political landscape- what more are you going to do and how does that make up for the loss of The Fix? It doesn't.
As a reader of Salon for the past several years, I feel that the loss of the fix is going to leave a gaping black whole in Salon where fun, light-hearteded, and to-the-point celebrity gossip coverage (not too much, and not too little) was. I know we're all supposed to be ashamed of reading celebrity gossip, but c'mon, even those of us who cover all the "serious" news (which really, how serious can you call some of the coverage on the personal aspects of politicians, who are becoming more and more akin to celebrities in their vulnerability to the public eye- I mean, there was coverage on Slate re Edwards $400 haircuts!!) enjoy a little taste, even if just to stay informed of current events and of culturally relevant topics. Scott Lamb provided us with that perfectly sculpted little taste, and what's more, you can't deny the cultural impact that celebrity has on America and beyond, despite the frowning and whining of intellectual elites everywhere.
Please call the loss of The Fix what it is: a failing on behalf of Salon. It is a loss. It almost seems from your column (which I really enjoy mostly all the time) that you're boasting of a high-minded silver-lining in the cloud of the disappearance of The Fix; that Salon will become more elevated in stature without the lowly, fast-food grit of The Fix mucking up the printscape.
To The Fix, I say a tender goodbye. And to Salon: please consider having some sort of bite-size, velveeta cheese coverage in the future. Please. Not everybody wants gruyere or gorgonzola all the time, even if we are Salon, rather than TMZ readers.
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Just Because You Don't Like It Doesn't Mean Nobody Else Does.
[Read the article: What happened to plain old vanilla?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You rely far too heavily on your personal dislike of the ice cream used at Cold Stone as a way of proving that the Cold Stone craze is empty at it's heart because the basis of the dessert, the ice cream, is awful. I, a grown woman, happen to think Cold Stone ice cream is delicious, and there are obviously many others that agree with me. It's perfectly fine to have an opinion, but to not recognize that your distaste for Cold Stone ice cream does not translate into the distaste of the masses for Cold Stone ice cream is egregiously short sighted. Your article would be better balanced if you could concede that others obviously like the ice cream a great deal and will continue to do so, just as people continue to buy five dollar frappuccinos and almost five dollar pints of premium ice cream.
Also, it should be noted that many of the Cold Stone ice creameries are not imbued with that corporate cheer of which you speak. I always tip and have never received a song. The employees have always been normal acting, sometimes even a little hostile when the line is long. I've been at approximately ten different locations in California.
Lastly, the tone of this piece reeks of snobbery, especially with all of the allusions to diabetes and infantile taste, as if only children or pathetic, self-destructive adults would be tempted by something as lowly as mix-in ice cream chains that serve fatty ice cream. Wake up and smell the brownie goo: people love their fatty food and the corporate powers that be know that, which is why we live in a fast-food nation with expanding waistlines. How is the mix-in cream chain so different?
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Hey Anonymous
[Read the article: What happened to plain old vanilla?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My point in saying "wake up and smell the brownie goo . . . " was to disagree with the author's prediction that Cold Stone will fail merely because he contends that the ice cream is tasteless and laden with extra fat. That's the definition of fast food, and it's thriving. That was the point.
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Avoid the Liability, Save Your Job and Say NOTHING!
[Read the article: The boss's incompetent son wants an employment reference!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Dear Mr. Unwilling Reference:
My advice to you is to avoid giving negative references. Period. I don't care what that person did. Just don't give anymore negative references. I'm not an attorney or a bona fide expert on the matter, but I know that employers and people get sued everyday for giving negative references or otherwise hindering someone's ability to become gainfully employed.
Here's another thought: what do you really accomplish with a negative reference? People in many different professions understand that references are a discreet affair, meaning that they do not provide a comprehensive picture of someone's job performance or skills, unless the person providing the reference truly wants to give a glowing recommendation. Essentially you only want people to provide references for you if you think they have something positive to say about you, because in this liability-ridden world, not saying anything is practically tantamount to condemning a person. The beauty of it is that you don't have to say anything and that speaks for itself. For example, should someone contact you seeking a reference to this incompetent boss' son, merely provide the time period in which you worked with him, and the nature of the work. The key here is descriptive, not prescriptive. Should they ask for your opinion, merely say that you cannot give out anymore information, and that's your policy. This way you get to protect your credibility and your job. It's win win!