Alternative priority picking

A few weeks back, as a local malcontent and anti-social type, I thought that I’d put my money where my mouth is, and lay down the 100 smackers it costs to get observer status at the NDP convention in Toronto - the one that elected Jack Layton as new leader.

While there, I had the chance to take a look at the local alternative newsweekly, Now. Imagine my surprise at seeing Layton on the cover wearing a tattoo, with profiles written by Barenaked Ladies’ Steven Page and Jian Ghomeshi, host of CBC’s Play. All this alongside stories with headlines like "Iraq attack: Canadian soldiers just say no," as well as a story on the death of The Hilarious House of Frightenstein creator Billy Van.

Now compare that to last week’s issues of both the Mirror and Hour having the same guy on the cover - techno-music mogul and fancy guy Håkan Libdo ["The Swedish Taboo," Cover, Jan. 30].

I care about the importance of the future of techno in this city just as much as the next guy, but with the potential war in Iraq, a resurgent activist community (about 20,000 people turned up at the last demo against the war), a L’UFP (Union des forces progressistes) convention etc, shouldn’t you guys in the "alternative media" be thinking harder about what you cover?

I’m pretty sure that your bankroll wouldn’t have been broken had you guys sent someone to cover the NDP convention. It would not have been a waste of your time, as you could’ve gotten some material for future profiles from some of those in attendance - Dr. Henry Morgentaler, Buzz Hargrove, two American parents of a U.S. marine who addressed the convention, just to name a few.

» Fidel Fuentes

Hacking at Vikings

This is concerning your story on white supremacist tattoos ["Hate under the sleeve," Jan. 30]. Your reporter, Patrick Lejtenyi, is actually committing a hate crime against the first Europeans here in North America.

Writing that Mjölnir (Thor’s hammer) is only a symbol of the purity of the white race etc., is totally rubbish. Why don’t you write things like that about all these jihadniks, whether they are Sunnis or Muslims or fundamentalist Christians or fanatical gays or anti-gays or whatever?

Why do you always have to hack on the Vikings? You know if you had done this with some of the above-mentioned groups, you would be in deep shit.

Your names and all of you journalists on staff at the Mirror would definitely be on different Internet sites with a biography - you can be bloody sure about that. You’re lucky that it was only the Vikings who you defamed.

» Lief Erikson

Wi-Fi paranoia

Your story on Wireless Fidelity is both informative and scary ["Internet in the air," Jan. 30]. There’s no end to people’s drive for the ultimate in mobility, and as Wi-Fi technology becomes cheaper and cheaper, people tuning into the world through their laptop antennae will become as common as cell-phone users.

In the world of cables and tangible connections, the Internet is already a hacker free-for-all. As we move into wireless technology, the shit’s bound to hit the fan. Businesses are opening important information to intrusive wardrivers. Until Wi-Fi has the necessary technology to keep it secure, it won’t help us at all. Let’s hope that the CRTC and Internet privacy companies of the world do something before it’s too late.

» Chris Miller

LOTR review lame

Hey, what’s up with Chris Barry’s lame review of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ["The season for celluloid," Dec.19]?

Here’s a suggestion for writing useful film commentary: have movies reviewed by people who actually like the genre of the movies they’re reviewing. People who don’t like "magical elves and talking trees" already know that they won’t like LOTR, so thanks for nothing.

And can you seriously criticize director Peter Jackson for expecting viewers to be familiar with the first movie? It’s a sequel for fuck’s sake. Who goes to see part two of anything thinking, "Well, they better not expect me to know anything about part one, damn it."

Oh, by the way, I saw Almodovar’s movie, Talk to Her. I guess it was good, but if you don’t like Spanish movies about comatose people, it was like watching a couple of hours worth of Kevin Sorbo’s Hercules in Spanish with great scriptwriting, good actors and, oh yeah, without the lame action and Greek mythology stuff.

There. Now I can write film reviews for you.

» Eric Ginestier

Keeping up with the kids

It’s good to see that the leg-warmer fad has finally hit Kristian Gravenor’s neck of the woods [The Kristian Perspective, Jan. 23].

Maybe someone should let him know that the ’80s came back on the Plateau two years ago and should also be well on their way to NDG by now.

» Sarah Edmonds

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