Everyone's an insect

Federal Justice Minister Anne McLellan is the "Angel" in the Nov. 25 issue of the Mirror for legislation on tougher penalties for pet abuse. But "guardian angel of the nation's pets"? Thousands of dogs, cats, etc. are killed every year by the Montreal city pound, Berger Blanc, and the Montreal SPCA (in contrast to the no-kill Monteregie SPCA). No animal scheduled to die at these two institutions will be saved by the new provisions, which seem to deal with individual abusers only.

It's ironic that three pages on, we find a story about the massive killing carried out by the Canadian fur industry ["The trappings of fashion"]. Again, it's doubtful that a single animal life will be spared by the new legislation.

Turn to another page in the Mirror, and you'll find the resto review, this time "Steak and fries," where we're told: "If you're not a vegetarian... you won't regret it." Not a single bird, mammal or fish destined for the Canadian meat market will be spared by the minister. Finally, I find it ironic in this whole context that just below the Angel minister's photo is the bad guy blurb called "Insect." Whom do we rob for our honey? Who are the beautiful monarch butterflies we're trying to save? Who pollinates the plants and trees, without whom we could not survive? All are insects!

--Shloime Perel

Rialto redux

I am writing regarding the Rialto being renovated and transformed into a disco/bouzouki nightclub ["The Rialto showdown," Nov. 18]. All of a sudden the entire community is concerned about its heritage. But the theatre has been of no use for the longest time and finally when the owner and manager, Mr. Kalogeras and Mr. Ioannou, decide to do something about it, everyone jumps on them!

In the past several years, Parc Ave. has been dying, with commerces opening and closing overnight. It's not what it used to be. I hope that everyone else will just back off and let the owners do as they please! They are not deteriorating the Rialto but bringing it to life again.

--Katerina Vrahnos

Thing's the thing

Over the past three months I've come to realize that, out of all the Montreal papers, almost the only thing worth reading is the "Thing" column in the Front section of the Mirror, which I never miss. In fact, I've started a scrapbook, as I like the look of the columns as well as the content.

I admit, I'm something of a weirdo, but only in the sense that I think important scientific issues should be openly discussed in the papers, instead of devoting all the pages to entertainment, politics, catastrophes, astrology (!?!) and sex. Not necessarily in that order. I'd just like to say that Philip Preville's column is great (although the other people who've written for it have done a good job as well) and I look forward to seeing more next Thursday, and every seven days after that.

--Yves Etienne Tourigny

Fast food withdrawal

Whopper coupons? How gross is that ["Fries with your withdrawal, sir?" Nov. 18]? Can you imagine a world where the bank machines gave you a receipt for something that was actually good for you, like organic fast food--something other than hormone-injected pesticide-eating, land-destroying and forest-plummaging corporate cattle (not to mention menthane farting)?

Fast food eaters: wake up! What you eat is what you are, what you think, what you dream about. There are so many good restaurants in Montreal that sell better food for cheap, where maybe, just maybe, the meat won't be so filled with antibiotics. You might as well sit down, swallow some antibiotics and hormone pills and drink pesticides from your carbonated beverage--not to mention fill a landfill with the amount of non-biodegradable waste that those places pump out every day. Call me a tree hugger but I have no idea what kind of planet we think we are passing on to our children.

--"Vegetarian concerned about social consciousness"