Mail letters to Letters, Santa Fe Reporter, PO Box 2306, Santa Fe, NM 87504, deliver them to 132 E. Marcy St., fax them to 505-988-5348 or email them to the editor
But For Fortune
I'm writing to thank you for your continuing excellent coverage of domestic violence. I'm acquainted with Molly Dragiewicz through a women's criminal justice Listserv (I do research on campus violence and workplace violence). Corey Pein quoted her in his recent article; she is a knowledgeable source. I sent her the link for his article and she said Corey was very courteous and she was impressed with his article. I told her you covered this subject frequently. I've never been a DV victim, but there but for fortune.
Dianne Layden
Albuquerque
Water Response
Thanks for sharing the important news about the city's cistern-rebate program. I'd only like to add that when Mayor David Coss realized that a mistake had been made with regard to water-harvesting permits, the city's official response was prompt, professional, precise, positive and productive. For details about cistern rebates, water-harvesting permits and a "water-security" forum set for Feb. 9, please visit my blog at harvesttherain.com. As of this writing, two of the three mayoral candidates and three of the five people running for City Council have agreed to attend the forum, which is sponsored by a group of local water harvesters who call themselves the Semi-Arid Guild.
Nate Downey
Santa Fe Permaculture, Inc.
Santa Fe
No Breakfast
I don't have any problem with Alex De Vore's views about music, even if I disagree with them. Anyone who makes a fuss about this one guy's opinion, even if it does happen to get more exposure than their own, is just being a whiny weenie.
What I do find annoying is De Vore's practice of "Me Journalism." This media trend has been going on for way too long with no end in sight. De Vore's self-centered need to inject himself into his columns is, frankly, rather pathetic. What makes him think anyone gives a shit about him or what he had for breakfast this morning?
Write about the music, Alex, not yourself. No one cares that your column has been a "learning experience" for you or that you've been writing your "whole life". At least you have a gracious attitude towards receiving criticism since you do in fact dish it out yourself. That's more than I can say about many of the two-faced critics I've encountered, especially at the Weekly Alibi here in Duke City, which is so fraught with "Me Journalism" and fragile weenies, it's downright embarrassing.
Other than that, Alex, I do enjoy your writing. Keep up the good work and remember the words of music critic Lester Bangs as played by Philip Seymour Hoffman in Almost Famous: Be honest and unmerciful.
Rich Latta
Albuquerque
GreenWood
When we drink coffee, we often don't think of it as a political or environmental act, but it is. Recently, Margaret Atwood spoke in both Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and was interviewed by SFR about her new dystopian novel The Year of the Flood. When asked what changes she has made in her own life to become more "green," Atwood emphatically declares that the most important thing is buying shade-grown coffee. She states that "coffee is the second most traded substance on the planet after oil, and the non-organic, non-shade-grown is a big killer of migratory songbirds, because their habitat is destroyed and then their food and [they themselves are] sprayed with pesticides."
She alludes to the fact that the decline of songbirds will lead to human demise.
It is true shade-grown coffee is more expensive than Folgers, however, it is also tastier, and drinking the good stuff makes a positive difference in the lives of many bird species, other forest animals and the hard-working small farmer. Be a conscientious consumer and go to places like La Montañita Co-op, where one can purchase at least 13 different kinds of shade-grown coffee produced by Pachamama and Equal Exchange in the bulk section.
Christina Hartsock
Albuquerque
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