EDITOR: I want to note an important absence in the article by Josh Feit regarding Joel Horn [Five to Four, "Don't Blow It, Horn," Nov 28]. Horn played a key role in supporting the Seattle Public Schools 1995 levy election. Following a string of four lost levy elections, Joel stepped up and threw his considerable political savvy and experience from the Commons electoral efforts behind getting the school district's building levy passed. The levy passed and resulted in 22 projects, 95 percent on time and on budget. Please give credit where credit is due for outstanding community service.

Scott Barnhart, via e-mail

HANNAH LEVIN: Forget the turkey-duck-chicken, sweetie pie [Chow, "The Birds," Nov 28]. Next year, I'm stuffing a mouse into a rat into a spotted owl into an armadillo into a badger into a baby seal into a dolphin into an orca into a shark into a whale. Top that if you can. Roasting time is approximately six days, give or take an hour or six. Also, the health department will lay an egg (in a chicken in a duck?) if they get wind of my plan. I formulated my recipe to gain the maximum exposure to every known bacteria, virus, toxin, and intestinal parasite, while you and your unfortunate dining guests will only be hospitalized for terminal infections of salmonella and campylobacterosis.

Jay, via e-mail

STRANGER: I am shocked and appalled at the recent abandonment of meat from Min Liao's diet [Chow, "Vegetarian Vacation, Part 2," Nov 21]. Killing and eating animals is a fundamental aspect of the history of mankind, and should not be avoided simply because a bunch of underbathed hippies think it is "what is right." Rather, it is essential to understand the underlying problem, which is how animals are raised and improperly treated and slaughtered, and separate this from the actual action, which is snacking on delicious, tasty meat.

I do, however, sympathize with the vegetarians and vegans who read your Chow section, but I think this warrants a second column, or a split in Min's column: The first half can be about tasty, delicious meat, and the second half can be about getting tofu and rabbit food to taste like tasty, delicious meat.

Dan, via e-mail

MIN LIAO: Yes, eating veggie is more compassionate, and yes it's more environmental, but some people were just not born to eat a strictly vegetarian diet. I was a veggie for years, and steadily gained weight and suffered from low blood sugar. After going low-carb, my skin cleared up, I stopped biting my nails, I lost weight, and I was able to think more clearly. Yes, eating meat is cruel, but it's clearly the right way to eat for me and it sounds like it's right for [you] too. I try to only eat meats from local producers who treat their animals well and don't use animal by-product feed and hormones. And to all the cute cows and chickens: I'm sorry.

"Squidia," via e-mail

STRANGER: Vegetarians: the ignorant sluts! The only possible reason I could shed 1/8th a teaspoon of sympathy for them was if they were in some religious cult. You can never fulfill your animal needs with just a diet of foods planted in the dirt. Go ahead and proselytize all you want on how much saner a meat-free diet is. I'll be savoring a freshly grilled lamb. If brown rice, brewer's yeast, and 30 versions of zucchini suit you, be my guest. That's what awaits you in your exceedingly long life. I'll take the maple-infused bacon and the glorified pork rib any old day, damn the failing social services that might save my life. Who wants to hang when you're 70 years old anyway?

George Shea, via e-mail

STRANGER: Charles Mudede is an unmitigated cheap bastard for stating, at the beginning of this critical tripe, "Stanislaw Lem is a sexist--but that is another matter altogether" ["Lost in the Cosmos," Nov 28]. Nowhere in the subsequent piece does he elaborate on this. In fact, he appears not to have seen the movie at all. The reason for his befuddlement as to the meaning of Soderbergh's Solaris is clear: Mudede does not have a quote from Soderbergh, as he does from Tarkovsky, telling him what the film is about. Charles Mudede must be a clueless idiot, but that is another matter altogether.

Cal Godot, via e-mail

STRANGER: I'm actually very fond of your paper, and of Mr. Mudede's writing, but his review of Solaris was way too much. Philosophy as poetry? How about film criticism as pure masturbation. My god, I felt so dirty after reading that.

We can't say for sure what Solaris is about, but we sure as hell know what Mudede's review is about. Himself!

Angela, via e-mail

SEAN NELSON: Reading your movie reviews makes me not want to read The Stranger. Please write reviews of movies, and not demonstrations of your ability to use catch phrases and a word processor with a built-in thesaurus.

Or in your words: Nelson's effort at movie reviews primarily turn out to be arrogant, self-congratulatory dribble unrelated to the film and commonly tantamount to smart-ass apoplectic prattle.

Jourshe, via e-mail