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We Want Letters!
Thrilled by our brilliant insights? Sick of our mean-spirited attacks? Need to make something perfectly clear? Write: Tucson Weekly, P.O. Box 2429, Tucson, AZ 85702. Fax your fury to 792-2096. Or jam our Compuserve box at 71632.105@compuserve.com.
Letters of 250 words or less are encouraged.
Going Bandannas
To the Editor,
Regarding Tom Danehy's "Bogus Brotha," (Tucson Weekly, March 30): In defense of the right to wear bandannas in the NFL, on the streets of Los Angeles and especially anywhere in the Sonoran Desert, my Indian friends and relatives young and old alike have worn bandannas ever since I can remember. Bandannas are really just small scarves made out of cotton and are among the most practical clothing items one can wear in hot climates. They are worn when working to keep sweat or long hair out of one's eyes (I suppose this is why sweat-prone NFL players like them); when it's windy bandannas help to keep one's hair in place; when it's hot, bandannas keep one's head protected from the heat (this is especially important for older people). When taking long treks in the desert, bandannas (used as a tourniquet) may save one's life if one happens to be bitten by a rattlesnake. Bandannas also serve as a handy washcloth or bandage.
Because gang members are reputed to wear bandannas in a territorial fashion, is this reason enough to ban these centuries-old fashion statements of the Sonoran Desert?
--Anthony Guy Lopez
Foreign Exchange
To the Editor:
Regarding "Dutch Cheat" (Tucson Weekly, April 6): Once again, Jeff Smith is pounding his keyboard uselessly. Four major problems with his story:
1. This story was already done (better) by the daily paper.
2. Stating that Bonita Nursery has only created minimum-wage jobs is bunk. My company services equipment at the nursery, and I am not Dutch; also I earn more than a minimum wage. I am sure if you were to delve a little further, you would find many such accounts with Bonita, which have a considerable impact on the local economy.
3. Last I heard, Arizona was a right-to-work state, so if Bonita could get good help cheap, why should they pay inflated union wages?
All those crybabies need to quit sniveling and get out and hustle up some work. This state has enough litigation going on.
--W. G. Becker
Naked Truth
To the Editor,
Regarding Margaret Regan's "Between God and Mad Ave." (Tucson Weekly, April 6): I don't agree that our culture has contempt and rejection of the human body.
It is the fear of the male and female genitals--the sex--and more so in Puritan-minded countries. Otherwise we love the body. Look at all those nude paintings, even ads, and the Catholic Church's love of those sexy Madonnas. Yet it puts fig leaves on male genitals, since they cannot be hidden by crossing the legs. Not easily.
I hope to see Doogan's exhibit and trust she has included some male nudes. Personally, I prefer women, but in all fairness....
--Alfonso Giella
Dog Daze
To the Editor,
Jeff Smith's "The Lady or the Hairball?" (Tucson Weekly, April 6) was perhaps one of your best columns yet! Please don't despair over your dilemma though, because you are not alone. This doggie-in-the-bed crisis is not endemic to "older" divorced men, as I, too, have faced this problem (and I am only in my late 20s).
It would seem there are very few people out there who want to share their lover's bed with a hound. I blame their distaste on ignorance, an excessively anal personality, and/or a lack of experience with pets.
I have shared my bed with "Smokin' Joe" Frazier over a year now, and I wouldn't have it any other way. My Boxer pup keeps me warm on cold nights, rarely snores, and wakes me every morning with a big, wet, loving smooch. His only fault is that he tends to hog the bed, but this seems a small price to pay for such reliable devotion.
Luckily, my last boyfriend didn't mind sharing the covers with Fraze, but I have since dated a few men who have refused even to consider the notion. They were also the type who believed that dogs should never be allowed on any furniture, (yes, my dog has claim to the couch as well). Of course, these "men" don't stay in my life for very long.
--C. Richmond
Yeast Affection
To the Editor:
Out of curiosity, I followed Chow's advice ("Think of five restaurants in town where you've really noticed the bread") and asked five of my favorites (Kingfisher, Vivace, Trio, Magritte and Delectables) who bakes their bread. Their replies were unanimous: John Dough Bread Company.
--Laura Penny
Canadian Vision
To the Editor:
Unlike your movie reviewer Zachary Woodruff, I have seen one other movie by Atom Egoyan, The Adjuster. For me it was one of the most stimulating, entertaining and fascinating movies I have seen in recent years. I found Exotica to be the same. Regrettably, Egoyan is a foreign filmmaker (Canadian), which makes distribution of his films to commercial theaters and on video difficult in our supposedly free, capitalist society. I was surprised this film was screened at the El Dorado instead of The Loft, where one expects films of this genre to be offered in Tucson.
It did not surprise me that Woodruff did not like this movie. I wouldn't expect him to understand it! Reviews of The Adjuster that I read in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Center City Weekly (Philadelphia's equivalent of the Tucson Weekly) didn't show an understanding of that movie, either. The problem is that we have a bunch of movie reviewers in this country who have no cultural experience beyond that of 'good ole Amurica.'
They know "symbols and visual parallels" when they see them in films because they learned that in college. But film from any country carries elements of that culture within it. It comes mainly from the writer and director, in this case the same person. Foreign films carry "symbols and visual parallels" which the viewer may not be able to understand if the cultural context is not relevant to the viewer's experience. This is why most reviewers just don't get what Egoyan's films are about.
--George O'Bannon
Diamonds Are Forever
To the Editor:
Thanks to Mark Kerr for pointing out that the 42,000 people attending the Women's International Bowling Congress tournament in Tucson will bring an estimated $25 million to our economy ("Ten-Pin Tussles," Tucson Weekly, March 30).
Could he please explain that to your Skinny editor? He or she doesn't understand that the 117,962 people who attended Colorado Rockies spring training games last year (two-thirds of them from out of town) contributed more than $55 million to the local economy.
Building a new stadium so Tucson can accommodate the Rockies, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Houston Astros during spring training would raise that impact figure to $100 million or so.
It also would give this area a new venue for outdoor concerts, recreation, sporting events and exhibitions, thereby easing pressure on Reid Park.
It's a good deal, Ms. or Mr. Skinny. So do some more research--or ask your colleague, Mr. Kerr.
--Steve Emerine
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