Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Illegality makes it spicier:Ryan Blitstein's feature story "Writing His Future" [Sept. 6] includes the sentence " ... says Saber, painter of the largest work of spray can art in the world, a football field-size piece on the cement banks of the Los Angeles River."

This is wrong. Saber is the painter of the largest illegal graffiti piece in the world (and his was done with rollers). There are several larger legal aerosol art pieces in Germany, France, and Greece.

Thanks. It's a great story otherwise, and we appreciate you covering Vulcan, one of the best artists to come out of the scene from his era.

Susan Farrell
Founder, Art Crimes
Via e-mail

Love on a daily basis:The reason, it seems, that downtown interests don't like Daly ["Daly: A Four-Letter Word," by Martin Kuz, Sept. 6] could be that Daly keeps them on edge and on their toes.

The only four-letter word I have for Daly is l-o-v-e. Gotta love that Chris Daly.

Jerry Jarvis
San Francisco

Yes, thank God theBay Guardian isn't appearing daily:Regarding Mark J. Fiore's response to "Chuck and Run" [Letters, Sept. 6], calling the Examiner "negligent litter," "a nuisance," and "blight" is going a bit far, don't you think? And gad-flying to the city attorney, the DPW, and the Board of Supervisors — over the top.

Fewer people are reading newspapers. The industry is in trouble. The New York Times lost nearly half the value of its stock in four years. Knight Ridder bailed out altogether, ending a 114-year history in the newspaper business.

Interestingly, the only papers that are holding their own are the free ones. So much so that the French Le Mondeand Mr. Murdoch's News International are both planning to introduce free dailies.

In Bernal Heights, the Examiner boxes are empty by 4 p.m. When delivered, few copies are left on the street. Maybe my neighbors read more, or are tidier. Or perhaps the liberals out here are not frightened by a newspaper that carries conservative opinion.

It would seem that if there really were a problem with the Examiner as litter, the newspaper would want to address that problem as a good business practice. But who knows — the Bay Guardian often appears where it seems unwanted. Let Mr. Fiore thank God that the Bay Guardian isn't appearing daily on doorsteps (although I suspect him to be a big fan).

Paul Burton
San Francisco

Aw, Jackson, you are cute ... for a blogger: Frances Reade has officially cursed me to disappoint and disillusion anyone I meet, as San Francisco is now under the mistaken impression that I'm "cute" ["Dear Blog," Aug. 23].

I'm never going to live that shit down.

Jackson West
Editor at large, sfist.com
San Francisco