[RE: Thin Line, “Our Third Annual Review of the ‘Hot Singles’ Issue,” Oct. 18-24] Here are the Top 10 Questions singles on the prowl feel should have been asked by Albuquerque the Magazine to their “Hot Singles” choices:10. Have you ever stayed in a motel that charged by the hour?9. Have you ever rented or had somebody show up with a U-Haul on the second date?8. Have you ever awoken from a date in another state and not known how you got there?7. Are you paying or collecting more than one alimony?6. Have you scared off dates by having to blow into a device to start your car?5. Have any of your recent relationships consisted of conjugal visits?4. Has the dissolution of any recent relationships consisted of the following: moving out of state, filing a restraining order or calling the SWAT Team?3. Have you ever had one of your dates filmed on an episode of “Cops”?2. Do you have a bail-bondman on your speed dial?1. Have you ever discovered your date was not of your sexual preference, but by the time you found out you didn’t care?
Crazy Cartoonists
[RE: Feature, “Creating Comics,” Oct. 18-24] I was thrilled to read about the success of the up-and-coming organization 7000 BC, dedicated to the promotion of hand-drawn, original comics as a legitimate and vital cultural artform in America. But a few locals (including myself) still remain who recall its distant predecessor, the Southwest Association of Cartoonists, which flourished for a time here in the early ’90s.Shortly after moving to Albuquerque from the Midwest in 1991, I joined SWAC and immediately connected with a handful of kindred spirits, including Andy Valdez (an accomplished local caricature artist who operates Andy’s Arts & Ideas), the late Mike Sanger (a former old-school Disney animator who owned the Santa Fe Cartoon Company) and New Yorker cartoonist Danny Shanahan (who hosted SWAC gatherings at his home on the Westside on at least a couple of occasions), among others. But the SWAC collective seemed to lose heart after Sanger’s untimely passing, and when its loosely appointed leader—who tried valiantly, and mostly in vain, to properly organize this vibrant collection of crazy cartoonists—moved back to Michigan, eventually its members fragmented and went their separate ways. Many have gone on to carve out various innovative niches in the local or national art scene. And now, something new comes along, bringing fresh energy and focus. I applaud the founders of 7000 BC for their energy, creativity and their continuing efforts to educate and involve the public in the creation of comics. Long live this quirky and delightful artform! There can never be too many cartoonists in the world.
Boycott For Burma
Frank Cullen wrote [Letters, “Missing in Action: Burma,” Oct. 11-17] there were no demonstrations in New Mexico about the massacres of monks in Burma. Too bad he couldn’t find the three marches led by Thai monks that happened in Albuquerque on Sept. 30 and the following two Sundays. They were silent, mindful walks in solidarity with the people of Burma and for the freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi, the only Nobel Peace Prize winner under house arrest. Burma is ruled by a brutal military dictatorship supported by China and Chevron-Texaco. China directly brutalizes the people of Tibet, whose spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, was just given the Congressional Gold Medal and met publicly with President Bush. The people of Burma and Tibet are also linked in that their struggles for democracy and autonomy are based in Buddhist principles of nonviolence.For local updates on Burma actions, write wri@womens-rights.org. For Tibet info, savetibet.org. And boycott Chevron-Texaco!
Burqa Me
As an old and ugly woman I would like to have the option of wearing a burqa without being even more of a stared-at freak in America. I’m sick of struggling with my flyaway hair and changing out of my comfortable house rags into unstained clothes, trying to hide my overly large mammary glands with layers and vests, taking a good 20 minutes to go outside the door to do some boring chore that takes less time to do then getting dressed. Then as soon as I step back into my dwelling place I have to change back into my house rags before permanently staining my street clothes, as I’m always doing something messy and creative.However, in summer, in the burning asphalt pit of a city, I’d like to go naked because I need the the vitamin D of the sun to relieve joint pain on the areas of my body that have never seen the light of day, except when hiding in the woods.Summertime nudity is far more modest and less alluring than the clothes most non-adolescent women wear, with cellulite, flab and varicose veins.With the option of a burqa, women could easily conceal all kinds of protective weapons, even machine guns.
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