The Mail
Man Woman Dog Bus
The average man stays sexually active, capable and potent until his twilight days. His average female mate loses her looks and hormonal attraction on a sliding menopausal curve that begins around the age of 30, ending between 40-50. Thus, a 10-15-year age spread is nothing if not natural and sensible for a long-term relationship.
A Wall Street robber baron who collects my art once told me, "A young man is like a dog chasing a bus. The woman is the bus. As time goes on, the man becomes the bus, and the woman the dog."
Nature may be cruel, but she is honest.
James Tully, Manhattan
Pin the Tail on the Libertine
Your little rant against the National Review Online's "The Corner" was disappointing (Russ Smith, 5/18). Yes, the plugs can be annoying, but that's true for any kind of advertising. For the most part I find the blog consistently entertaining and informative, and I would think someone with your point of view would share this opinion. But now you find yourself in agreement with the libertine hack James Wolcott. Given that, it seems to me that you are being tacky, not "The Corner."
Frank Banecker, Philadelphia
Slack Attack
I understand that Mr. Knipfel is still employed by New York Press, but that serves as little consolation for those of us who have been following his column for many years. In fact, "Slackjaw" was the reason I started reading New York Press five years ago. This is the end of an era, and you should be ashamed. Mr. Knipfel deserves better than this.
Richard M. Delli Fraine, Gainesville, FL
Freaks and Funds
Re: "Save the Freak" (5/11): I guess New York Press doesn't like the new Coney development plan, huh? My family used to own and run the Thunderbolt roller coaster, and I think you've got it wrong. There is so much potential in Coney that is just being wasted.
Why open a movie theater in Coney? The Shore Theater had been running first-run films for years. When it was open it added much vitality and excitement to Surf Ave. Would New York Press prefer to have a shuttered building across from Nathan's?
And why not a bowling alley? We play skeeball, don't we? As for that Cultural Center, it is intended for the residents of the housing projects in Coney Island. It would go a long way to help a community that is ravaged by crime and gang violence.
Does New York Press really think that New Yorkers will stop coming to Coney Island once all these improvements are in? Coney Island is a national treasure that needs a facelift. If we have to lose the Freak, so be it.
Harold Kramer, Manhattan
Amber Waves of Terror
Re: Matt Taibbi's "A Ridge Too Far" (5/18): This column is a riot and a great analysis of the terror alert system, which always reminded me of that scene from The Russians Are Coming where Alan Arkin is repeating, "Everybody to get from street."
Early on my husband and I figured out why the DHS recommended that we seal ourselves into one room of our homes with plastic sheeting and duct tape in case there was a "biological" attack. They were hoping most of the Dems and Independents would smother themselves to death before we realized the "biological" agent was just B.S.
Terry Dunyak, Spout Spring, VA
Don't Hold Your Breath
Re: Joshua Cohen's review of My Body in Nine Parts (5/18): All my friends send me reviews of my books when they see one because they know it might be the only one. And they know how much Federman loves to read reviews of his books, the good ones as well as the bad ones. When he reads a bad one he simply says, "The guy who wrote that is an asshole." When he reads a good one he says, "The guy who wrote that is a genius or a mental case."
I read the Press review to my wife-my best critic-and she said, "It's interesting how the young generation looks at your work; one of these days they may make you famous."
Robert Federman, San Diego
Not Armond's Fault
Re: "Watts the Matter with L.A.?" (5/18): I couldn't agree more with Armond White's review of the massively over-hyped Crash or the failings of its equally over-praised writer Paul Haggis. However, White reveals a little racism of his own when he identifies Don Cheadle's Latina partner as actress Eva Mendes (who isn't even in the film) instead of Jennifer Esposito. Considering the two actresses don't even look that similar, other than both being attractive, perhaps Mendes was the only American Latina actress that White could think of?
NAME WITHHELD, Manhattan
Space Case
"Office Space, Office Reality" (5/18): Take your paint and yarn and knit on someone else's body since you and Bush are working together on Devil, Satan bull and he is no star from the creators daughter Nancy C. White the white papers. Or I'll have a little fun with a satilite disconnection. Count down or just a printing problem. Go back to school and ride your bike on someone else besides Nancy and Michael.
Nancy C. White, vial email
National Review Defense Team
Re: Russ Smith's "Toasting All Journalists" (5/4): I attended a National Review writer's event last night, and it was worth every penny. After the dinner five of them spent three hours in the hotel bar talking with about 15 of us. It was priceless.
L. Lee Weber, Atlanta
Taibbi: Blogged!
Dear Matt Tiabbi: My congratulations of a side-splittingly funny analysis of Tom Friedman ("Flathead," 4/20). I could not have said it any better. I have blogged your article.
Atanu Dey, Los Angeles
Anakin turns to the Dark Side, Too
Is there any justification for Matt Zoller Seitz telling us in the very first paragraph of his review (5/18) that Natalie Portman's character dies in Revenge of the Sith? I understand that reviews often have spoilers, but in the very first paragraph? There's no time to stop reading the review. I understood that when Ms. Portman played Anne Frank it wasn't gonna turn out happily, but still.
Paul Phillips, Manhattan