Lamb dressed as lamb

Hannah Strom-Martin's points about the bias of the fashion industry against the well-endowed ("My Two Breasts," Oct. 3) are well taken. The designers have decided that bodies should fit their clothes, not the other way around. Shame on them. Women don't really have to put up with that, and yet, for some reason, we do.

But do you get the idea, based on the perceived accusing looks that Strom-Martin says she receives, that she may dress somewhat . . . well, have you heard the phrase "mutton dressed as lamb"?

Strom-Martin may be seen as less a slut than as a case of badly misguided taste. Nobody but skinny teens look good in skinny-teen outfits. Everybody else runs the risk of coming across as kind of pathetic.

And while it is true that modern fashion may hold little for Strom-Martin in terms of flattery and prettiness, it was not always so. Clothing used to be designed with a more realistic woman's body type in mind. I'm thinking that perhaps a vintage shop might be a good resource. And talk about a chance for real style, nobody ever called Lana Turner tacky. (Well, nobody classy did, any way.) They called her sexy.

And one final word: don't be mean. The flat-chested are not losers any more than are the well-endowed, so don't call names. Be nice.

Definitely mutton,

Andi Perry Santa Rosa

Hannah Strom-Martin, who first wrote to us offering to be our movie critic when she was 14, is now perhaps all of 28. She's still firmly on the "fluffy lamb" side of the fence.

Tough love

Regarding the article on Community Pulse, "Doing the Math" (News, Sept. 19): I find these sorts of articles rather useless, a bunch of feel-good BS.

Would people like to help the environment? For starters, stop overpopulating. Stop building and stop paving over the land. If you want a family, have only one child or, better yet, don't have any and adopt or become a foster parent. Teach your children about their local watersheds, how many species we have lost in the last 200 years, what we lose each year and why.

Stop illegal immigration. Get the churches in Latin America to stop supporting oppression and support economic justice, women, human rights and family planning.

Repeal NAFTA.

There are around 1 billion people in the world currently living in total crowded squalor, and more are being born into, or moving into, wretched slum life every year. The question is, will so-called self-appointed environmentalists quit trying to convince people to put bandages on a broken leg or will they aggressively address the issues of overpopulation and economic disparity that many religions and political systems choose to ignore?

Lynn Rockhold Santa Rosa

Interfaith thanks

Last year, a small group of concerned people gathered to put together an emergency winter shelter for the homeless in Guerneville. There are no shelter facilities at the river for when it gets really cold. Several people in the past did not survive the temperatures below 35 degrees F.

St. Elizabeth's Church was generous enough to make the St. Hubert Hall available and are considering doing that again for this coming winter. Some members of this initial group decided to make sure that funds would be available early on for a winter shelter for this year so that resources were in place by the time the shelter was needed. Several other people joined this initial group, putting together a spaghetti dinner with a silent auction on Sept. 22. Proceeds were to go to the Russian River Interfaith Coalition to be used specifically for winter shelter. The event was held at the Guerneville Community Church, which kindly donated the space and utilities.

The evening was a great success because of the incredible effort of Mindy, Betty, Jan, Ila, Nancy, Kathy and Ed, Zach and many others. More then 200 tickets were sold as the local community showed their support for this endeavor. The Love Choir from Sebastopol came to sing, there was a raffle and door prizes and people had a wonderful time. The winter shelter committee raised over $4,500! The Russian River Interfaith Coalition wants to thank the committee for their tenaciousness and passion in putting together this first annual spaghetti dinner for the homeless. Thank you on behalf of the community and on behalf of those who really need the shelter. You have done an amazing job in bringing the resources and the community together in raising this much money.

the Rev. Elisabeth Middelberg Co-Chair, Russian River Interfaith Coalition

The Ed.,
Covered in cardboard cuts and odd bits of tape

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