Letters for October 26, 2017

Dave’s game

Re “Best of Northern Nevada” (special section, Aug. 10):

I have to wonder about your process for collecting votes. Pretty obvious Famous Dave’s gamed the system pretty hard. I mean, Best Wine List, Best Martini, Best Salad, Best Server, Best Margarita, Best Ambiance, Best Dessert? This is a barbecue hole-in-the-wall! I was surprised they didn’t get best sushi! Hopefully you consider this for next year.

Derek Southworth

Reno

Zorro the rat?

Re “Walled in” (Arts & Culture, Sept. 21):

Banksy’s “Haight Street Rat” Rides Again. It was fascinating for me to see—in Reno—the “Haight Street Rat” painted by street artist Banksy.

I am a fan of Haight-Ashbury, the Red Victorian Hotel on which the “rat” was stenciled, and the works and lore of Banksy, whose true identity is unknown to the public. What adds to the curiosity and fame about Banksy and his artwork is the fact that to some he is a vandal, graffiti artist and outlaw. But to myriad others he is a skilled and celebrated artist of the first order. In some ways, Banksy is reminiscent of the fictional Zorro, whose identity was known to only a few, and who was deemed a vigilante but was idolized by the masses. Also, like Zorro, Banksy is foxlike, has never been identified or caught by the authorities, seems to delight in humiliating those who wish to stop him, and has been generous to “commoners.” (In Banksy’s case, it is through his dissemination of a number of his pieces of art.)

While I was in the Sierra Arts Gallery looking at and thinking about the “Haight Street Rat,” I got the sense that Banksy views himself as that rat—chased but constantly elusive, dissident, despised by some, defying the established order, and with messages to deliver on behalf of outcasts through his painting.

Seth Bell

Reno

Vote no on United

Re “Air traffic uncontrol” (Let Freedom Ring, Oct. 19):

Response to Brendan Trainor: You can vote out a government bureaucracy. You can’t vote out a corporation. (Privatized prisons, e.g.?) And c’mon—they’ll be responsible to the passengers? My laugh of the day. You slay me.

Craig Bergland

Reno

Planning the end

Re “In passing” (cover story, Sept. 28):

First, I would like to commend you on your choice of printing this article. It is high time we humanoids talked about the “End of the Hunt” openly and simply deal with it. The article was in depth and worthy of much needed publicity and discussion.

However I found that there were zero comments devoted to a subject that most of us old farts consider far and above keeping our mostly worthless, worn out carcasses alive. That issue is called quality of life!

I am now 80 years old and for about 75 years of my life I was an active, athletic, and energetic man and had no major health issues. I can honestly say that I have led the life of at least a half a dozen men and left very few pages unturned. Presently, I am undergoing treatment for the removal of a cancer attached to my bladder and face another minor surgery for a biopsy in November to determine where we go from there. For the most part I am mobile but have a great deal of difficulty—and pain—climbing stairs and simply doing odd jobs in and around the household. My doctor simply said, “These things can get out of hand, so we have to watch it carefully.” Who knows where this will lead me ? I consider myself a Christian and thus have no fear of death, save my concerns about the well being of my wife after the fact.

Dr. Brian Callister was quoted in the article, “We have advanced so far in control of pain and symptoms that we can look you in the eye and say, We can control your symptoms.” Now that’s really nice and thoughtful. You can administer enough pain medication so that we will be no more than breathing zombies! I will pass on that.

Dan Archuleta

Sparks