Protesting Wal-Mart

Thanks for printing the story about the students who went on a cross-Canada trip protesting against the expansionism of Wal-Mart ["Reflections of a Wal-Town Roadie," July 22]. While it is obvious that the protesters will be unable to shut Wal-Mart down, they can help bring awareness to the communities that the chain has invaded or is in the process of invading.

Protests and direct action can make a difference. Just this month PETA released an horrifying video that they had made undercover at a Kentucky Fried Chicken slaughterhouse in West Virginia. It had an immediate effect, with one reporter calling it the poultry equivalent of Abu Ghraib. And rather than denying the torturing of the chickens - the poor animals were stomped, strangled and slammed against walls - or stalling with a lengthy and useless investigation, the KFC corporation acted swiftly and fired 11 of the workers who were responsible.

Perhaps for their next documentary, the students mentioned in your story should spend some time undercover at a Wal-Mart, though I suppose long hours and low wages does not translate all that well to film. The point, though, is to keep trying - you never know what you might accomplish.

» Sally-Ann Smith

Animal harm

It's refreshing to read about animal-rights activism that doesn't come slathered with bleeding-heart vegan sauce ["The way of all flesh," July 22]. The impression that Patrick Lejtenyi gives of activist Lesley Moffat and Animals' Angels is of a group rallying for more humane animal transport without insisting that cows get a ride to their ultimate demise in air-conditioned coaches with a stewardess and decent movies playing through the night.

That might sound far-fetched, but take into consideration the type of anthropomorphic nonsense spread by organizations like PETA and Global Action Network, who claim things like chickens enjoy watching TV and cuddling on your lap. I'm pretty sure chickens don't understand TV. That kind of propaganda only serves to alienate groups with a good cause from the masses they're trying to reach out to. There's a reason the meat industry is paranoid of animal rights activists, as Moffat puts it, and the only way for things to change for the better is to have the two sides work together rather than continue their respective propaganda wars.

People are going to keep eating meat and those who don't have their reasons, whatever people think of them. One of those reasons that the story doesn't mention, though, goes beyond cruelty into environmental impact. To produce a pound of beef, for example, takes something like four pounds of feed. It all boils down to bad use of resources where resources are diminishing. So, in the broader sense, eating lots of meat is like driving an SUV: you're leaving a bigger footprint in a world with less and less room to tread. Simply eating less meat would make a big difference, and would be much easier to swallow knowing that animals are being trucked around under more reasonable conditions.

» Natasha Rees

Man still works

I just have to say that before reading your article on the lead singer from Men at Work [Colin Hay, "Man Works Crowd," July 29], I had no idea that he was still performing. Men at Work put out one of the best albums in the '80s. No, the 20th century. I went to the show, even though I was expecting some washed up bum to make fun of himself the whole time. But he rocked! Long live Men at Work!

» Dan Miller

Sex slang, ja?

Regarding Sasha's column with the headline "Shagenfreude" [July 15]: If you wanted to say that in German, the correct spelling should be "Schadenfreude." Let's do it right the next time.

» Horst Siegmund

[Ed: Sasha's headline was in fact an international play on words, combining the German term "Schadenfreude," which means deriving pleasure from other's misfortunes, and "shaggin'," a slang term with British roots that refers to the act of sexual intercourse.]

Thoughts from Americans

My wife and I come to Montreal on a yearly basis and think it is the premier city in North America. We just returned from your city and were shocked by the criminal graffiti on every flat surface that has appeared in the last year. It is beginning to look like Paris of 10 years ago. The French finally grew sick of it and now Paris is beginning to look like the jewel it used to be.

Please don't let Montreal become a slum.

» Edward W. Smith Jr., Sugar Land, Texas

It is you Canadians who are the evil ones. If I were president of the U.S. I would seal the border. You hate us anyway so we wouldn't be losing a damn thing. You sure love our money though. I have no control over how the U.S. government disperses foreign aid, but I will not spend one cent on anything that comes from Canada. If you think I'm alone, you're sadly mistaken. We are boycotting France and we'll boycott you also. You are collective hypocrites.

» Jerry L. Clausing, USA

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