RE: "Good Vibrations" [Music, June 26], on Portland band Radiation City, whose sound, admittedly, was described therein as merely "democratic."
DEAR MERCURY—It is better to have bands like Radiation City, who have dance and samba sounds, replacing the old, tired lo-fi American indie sound and its pathetic, arms-folded fans—yet how come you don't review bands like Ron Ruedi and the Hurricanes? They are playing at Lydia's Restaurant and Lounge every Saturday night at 183rd and Burnside. These are the true sounds of liberty.
Clay Sachtablen
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RE: One of the many attractions downtown Portland offers beyond Voodoo Doughnut, the Shanghai tunnels, and Powell's.
DEAR MERCURY—If you live or work downtown, you can spot Randy the Pig Dog. He is all black and fat as hell and has a pig face. We all love this dog, but I have noticed him and his owner stand in front of the Whole Foods with Street [Roots]. I've noticed Pig Dog's face is gray. They are both old, and if Pig Dog dies so will this old man. I think they deserve a cover and a story in the Mercury.
Richard Jule
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RE: "Worst. Night. Ever. Steampunk Edition" [Blogtown, July 8], in which author Marjorie Skinner went to a steampunk convention at the behest of Blogtown readers for our summer blog series Worst. Night. Ever.
DEAR MARJORIE SKINNER—Here's the cool thing: You don't have to understand steampunk to like it. You don't have to like it to understand it; hardly anyone does. But at its best, the whole visual element is fascinating. People writing the history of a future that never was but should have been. Your essay made me smile. (... And I'm a steampunk artist. Who knew?)
Camryn Forrest
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RE: "The Doctor Is In" [News, July 10], concerning City Commissioner Steve Novick's extracurricular organization of forums on health care reform.
I like the approach. Don't worry too much about particular solutions, just get large employers in a room, recognize that you all spend tons on health care, and that it's in everyone's interest to find ways to spend less. It will be interesting to see where this goes.
posted by BJ Cefola
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RE: "Storm the Gates" [News, July 10], over the park bureau's threat to fence off a pavilion in Colonel Summers Park and continued clashes over vandalism, underage drinking, and other complaints, for which Food Not Bombs volunteer Lindsey Walker was interviewed.
The blocking off of a public space that's out of the rain should be criminal in a place with weather like this. The pavilion and all the parks belong to all of us—including the homeless! Why's the city gotta be dicks?
posted by wazz
Fencing off the pavilion seems very lazy on [Portland Parks and Recreation's] behalf. Perhaps PP&R could be useful for once and hire some people to security up the park after 10 pm? They could fire some mid-level administrative people, who do pretty much nothing, to pay for it.
posted by chicostix
What Lindsey Walker could do is serve food to the homeless from inside her own home, but she won't. Lots of people in this town willing to campaign for the homeless, but I don't hear about a single goddamn one of them offering a couch or even a tent in their backyards.
posted by ill paxton
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RE: "Apply Yourself" [I, Anonymous, July 10], in which an anonymous, unemployed author takes a company to task for not following up after a job interview.
If they didn't hire you, they have an obligation to do the decent thing and actually inform you directly that you didn't get the job. Typical big-business attitude, though... they assume that THEY are everything and you are nothing, and that your feelings and your dignity don't matter. It wasn't you, it was them and their insensitive arrogance.
posted by AlaskanNow
WE HAD TO read that twice before realizing there wasn't any snark in there, AlaskanNow, just a nice, supportive message for a distraught Anonymous. What's that smell? Fresh air? You win this week's letter of the week, with two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater, which has big-time snark and sincerity, depending on which theater door you choose.
