Sex for free?

When I saw the Mirror on the street the other day, I couldn't believe my eyes ["Money shots," Feb. 10]. After reading through it, I was even more astonished that it's a free newspaper that anyone can pick up. It's bad enough that there is pornography out there, but you decided to publish these things with all sorts of details. For your information, not everyone wants to know what other people do behind their bedroom doors.

I think it's not appropriate to put this out there where children can get access to it. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

--H. Howell

House too crowded for critics

Chris Yurkiw obviously does not know good music when he hears it [Discs, Feb. 17]. Is After Glow Crowded House's strongest work? Nope. Is it still better than 99.9 per cent of the other stuff that's out there? Absolutely!

Tell him to go give Together Alone a good listen and then write me back and tell me that Neil Finn isn't one of (if not the) greatest musician alive. The fact that basically every other critic in the world loved that album should tell him something. Granted, I don't listen to critics, but they're on the ball on this one.

--Tim

I was going to comment on your so-called reviewer's clearly biased opinion of Crowded House and their new release After Glow. However, just seeing who this person chose to dub the "Paul McCartney for their day" (Bob Mould, Grant Hart, Mojo Nixon) proves his incompetence. At least have a clue about what you review!

--Bill Mattus, Philadelphia, PA

Some students are satisfied

I feel the need to write on behalf of students in Quebec universities who are, for the moment, satisfied with the education we have been receiving at the price we have been paying. Our student government tends to excessively complain about the rising cost of education.

Students from all over the world are willing to pay thousands of dollars more than we do to be able to attend our academic institutions and receive the same standard of education as we do. Yet you never see them up in arms about the rising cost of our education.

Those who choose to protest make up a minority of the university population, but they always seem to be the ones with the megaphones in hand. This is infuriating to the many students who envy the fact that the fees in Quebec universities are among the lowest in the country. At Concordia, where I am a student, a chance to protest equals a day off to many students. The student government finds any and every reason to protest, right down to the cafeteria food. (By the way, no one is forcing them to buy it!)

If tuition increases pose such a threat, then the responsible elected officials should learn to deal with it in a more professional fashion, instead of these "hippie" inspired protests.

--Aaisha Lewis

Canadians take backseat at Oscars

Matthew Hays wonders who we should root for in this year's Academy Awards ["Oscar bitch," Reeling, Feb. 17], but the answer is simple: Wendy Tilby. How else can we have an Oscar-winning Wendy?

We lost out eight years ago, when Black Fly won over Wendy's Strings. How typical that the Canadian nominations are in the animation category, and that both times Wendy has been nominated, other Canadian films have been in the running at the same time.

Unless you're in one of the important categories, you don't get a particularly good seat. So let's not see Wendy sit in a cheap seat again for nothing.

--Michael Black

Don't let it snow

What is with this city? It wasn't too long ago that Montreal was a model of a well-developed system for snow removal. Now it is an embarrassment to its citizens and the name Montreal. Which leaves only one question: what are the snow removal crews doing with their 70-hour work week?

Lets stop blaming god and nature and start fixing the problem. If current crews are unable to handle the job, maybe it is time to contract out work to private firms who can.

--Alex Simoes