JUST A PRETTY METAL FACE

RE: "Up & Coming" [Nov 28], in which music writer Aris Wales discusses the role that frontwoman Jill Janus' breast implants and general attractiveness have had in her band Huntress' professional development.

DEAR ARIS WALES—It's unfortunate what people have been saying about Jill Janus. Pop music today has far too many pretty females who are not very good singers—heavy metal is not excluded—so it's nice to have one who is pleasing both to the ear and the eye.

-Isaac Hudson

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CHOC IT TO ME

RE: "Bean, Bar, Revolution" [Last Supper, Nov 7], regarding the boom in Portland's craft chocolate scene. Food writer Chris Onstad was criticized in the comments for not including a mention of Stirs the Soul. (BTW, the Mercury locks comments on articles 10 days after their publication date. Keep it fresh, people!)

I wish you guys hadn't locked the comments on the chocolate article so that people who aren't angry at Chris Onstad for existing could share their opinions about other comments. Like how articles such as this shouldn't seem surprising or forced considering the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have run similar articles about craft batch chocolates. Or maybe how Stirs the Soul is terrible and couldn't stand up to most of its raw chocolate competitors, much less any traditionally roasted chocolate. 

-Pazzo

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BUTTHURTLIA

RE: "Carrie On" [Letters, Nov 28], in which Portlandia principal and Portland celebrity Carrie Brownstein wrote in to sincerely express gratitude regarding the amount of attention the Mercury and its readers give to the hit show on IFC that Portland just can't stop talking about!

I think the folks at Portland Mercury are a little butthurt over Portlandia. Most likely because the show parodies the exact type of people the Merc employs and champions: self-important hipster d-bags. The show is pretty funny because it holds a mirror to quirky Portland. Too close for comfort?

-posted by cryaboutit

Good job trying to make a show you like immune to any criticism or ridicule. You find it funny, so if someone else doesn't, there must be something wrong with them, right? What makes you think you know the real deep-down reasons someone you don't know doesn't like a show? Not everything that "holds a mirror" does so with good ideas, writing, sense of comic timing, etc. And something is funny just because it's true? How is that supposed to work?

-posted by geyser

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SAFETY FIRST

RE: "Cops on Campus" [News, Nov 28], regarding a plan to create a police force at Portland State University in the face of increased reports of sexual assault.

I work on campus and would welcome an increase in security. There is an unusual amount of crime—I've been solicited for handgun purchases in the parking garage, a number of women have been assaulted in adjacent buildings, clearly imbalanced people regularly wander into the office and make a scene.

-posted by Ovidius

PSU isn't increasing its police staff because of sexual assaults alone—it feels the need to make a safer environment for its students, which they deserve. And yes, more police on campus will lower crime. I know the anti-police people will probably downvote me for saying that, but the truth is if you've ever been a victim of a crime, you wouldn't hesitate to call the police. Not that they're perfect, but they're an essential urban service most sane people want.

-posted by ws

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OH, SIT

DEAR PORTLAND MERCURY—As one who reads [the] Portland Mercury every week, and have for years, I look forward to the day when the s___ word is not commonplace. It has no rightful place in good journalism. It is disrespectful to the reader, and diminishes what [the] Portland Mercury is, or could be.

-steve a. engel

WE ARE SORRY, steve, for having offended your fine sensibilities with our affinity for blue language. Speaking of linguistics, let's make a deal: We'll stop talking s___, if you and everyone else agree to quit ignoring the grammatical rules regarding the capitalization of proper nouns. It's not cute, and it has no rightful place in proficient communication. In the meantime, you get two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater where you can pretty much guarantee avoidance of the s___ word by sticking to films made for children.