tapeheads, unite

I wanted to let you know how much I loved the recent article by Gabe Meline called "I Still Make Tapes" (Dec. 24, 2008). It was so cool to realize there is a kindred spirit out there who still does that; I truly thought I was the only one. I love making tapes and even labeling them like Gabe mentioned. And I had a tape player installed in my car so I could listen to them in there. Articles like this are why I read Bohemian. Please pass these comments along to the author and let him know I'd love to trade "making tapes" stories anytime. Thank you!

Brian Royalty

Santa Rosa

We Call Him 'RVB' Too!

The trouble with any review by Richard von Busack is that he is so intent on being acid and witty that the reader will have a difficult time discovering whether the film under review, in this case Defiance (Jan. 14), is worth seeing. In spite of RvB's gratuitous shots at writer-director Edward Zwick ("exudes humanism like a blintz exudes cheese") and actor Liev ("the bull-calf") Schreiber, I went to see the film in Sebastopol on Sunday. It is quite a good true-story film, getting a pretty accurate sense of what life was like for the Bielski brothers and their group of Jewish partisans fighting to keep themselves and hundreds of women and children alive in Belarus for three years following the German invasion and the commencement of mass murders abetted by local collaborators. Daniel Craig's star turn as Tuvia Bielski should assure a wider audience for the film, shot largely in Lithuania, and getting many of the details of life on the run in the Lipiczanska forest spot on. I hope RvB's review will not keep your readers from seeing a very realistic dramatization of a true story.

Joel Neuberg

Sebastopol

Imagining Equality

A child is beaten, a woman raped, the dog kicked and a mistress gets flowers. Thank God the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman is intact. I know, we live in a democracy and the votes have been counted, but just because the majority has voted for something that is discriminatory, hurtful and just plain indecent, does not make it OK.

So the struggle continues for such virtues as equality, pursuit of happiness and justice for all. I wonder will we ever set aside our differences and get there together? Sadly I think not, but I can still imagine.

Michael Cali

Cotati

Life-points Lesson

Regarding Bart Schneider's Lit Life column about Dan Coshnear ("Work/Life," Jan. 14): Brilliant! To think that Mr. Coshnear would find true humanitarian inspiration within the low-income, social services and in counseling the very dregs of society, serving the derelict rejects, crack-addicted prostitutes, hopeless winos, roving nut cases and many more.

When the game's over, man, and we all sit down and count up our life points, I believe the social servant who got paid squat to counsel the used and abused will be right up there with school teachers, rescue mission employees and crisis hotline operators. Believe me when I say that if and when you get strung out on painkillers and Kenwood Merlot because you got laid off, your minivan broke down, and along with your pride, your better half took the kids, you'll be whistling Dixie for the underpaid angels who wanna help fix your broken ass. I know that I do.

Trevor Moore

Santa Rosa

Send a letter to the editor about this story.