RE: "Come Shudder at This Video of Damage on the Morrison Bridge" [Blogtown, Jan 23], containing striking evidence of the failing deck on the city's most heavily used non-highway bridge.
It looks like they should seriously consider ditching these and going with good old cheap, dirty, reliable steel beams.
posted by styrofoamcup
Why would you accept patently defective material? Oh. I know. It's not your money.
posted by ujfoyt
RE: "Train in Vain," "Some Like It Hot," and "How to Lift a Man Over Your Head" [The Mercury Fitness Issue, Jan 21], regarding the potential benefits of meditation practice, regular sauna, and lifting a man over one's head.
Back in the day, I attended a free introduction to Transcendental Meditation with a buddy of mine. They swore that TM wasn't a religion and was not in conflict with any religion, so my friend signed up. They gave him a mantra, which they said was selected exclusively for him and no one else. Messed him up. Now, it turns out that the mantras they hand out are taken from a finite list of names of Hindu demons. Go figga.
posted by Dread Again
Yes, saunas are amazing, but I'd caution your readers to avoid infrared enclosures. While they are cheaper than genuine saunas, you're really not going to get anywhere close to a real sauna experience inside one. There are no hot rocks on which to sprinkle water, and they will never provide the encapsulating heat you'd find in a traditional Scandinavian-style sauna. If you're okay with that kind of experience, save the $1,000 that you would have spent on an infrared enclosure, buy a $20-40 space heater and empty out one of your closets. Also, you should avoid the hot tub and sauna if you're inebriated. While the sauna is, indeed, hotter, the hot tub is just as dangerous. Alcohol not only dehydrates you, but also makes it harder to tell if you're overheating, and can cause many people to fall asleep too easily. All that combined with the hot water and drowning risk of a hot tub make for a deadly combination.
posted by AlmostHeaven
If you are attending "a strength- and core-training circuit" or "bootcamp" class with the expectation of actually growing stronger (or strong enough to push a significant amount of weight overhead), you are performing exercises in futility. Real strength isn't attained that way. Powerlifters and Olympic weightlifters aren't going to be found training at some bootcamp class, and they certainly can move a lot of weight. You'd be much better off with a cheap gym membership and a good training program. But, I digress. Best of luck pressing a man over your head.
posted by DrifterInTheDark
RE: "No Riot Here" [News, Jan 21], regarding questions within city hall about police enforcement during political protests.
The Portland police have been irreversibly brainwashed with militarized training. Fire the entire force, and replace them with 200 peace officers who have been well trained in Japan. The City of Portland must forthwith withdraw from the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Take the money saved and give it to the poor.
posted by Denis Envy
RE: "You're Wrong About That" [New Column!, Jan 21], Francine Colman-Gutierrez' list of things you're wrong about.
What is with this BS negativity about everything different from your experience? Go get a massage or acupuncture. Better yet, pull the stick out of your ass and be a better person.
posted by Stephanie Hosking
RE: "Stop Sniping American Sniper!" [Letters, Jan 21], a collection of responses protesting a negative review of the Chris Kyle biopic.
Trying to turn Chris Kyle into a human being through the magic of film is an interesting endeavor, to say the least. It's like making a movie about how awesome a clown John Wayne Gacy was, while totally ignoring the fact that the guy was a pedophile and serial killer.
posted by disastronaut
INTERESTING COMPARISON, disastronaut! You've won this week's Mercury letter of the week, complete with two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater, where clowns, pedophiles, and serial killers are all in occasional rotation on the big screen.
