Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25165
letters to the ed itor:: Being a photographer and a travel maniac, I have often looked towards blue as a resource for information on places I have never been and as a icon for the necessity of traveling to support emotional intelligence. Keeping perspective in such a quickly changing world becomes an arduous journey in itself. The article by Mark Lasser ("Confronting American Myths in Vietnam, " September 2000) was insulting, cliched and misrepresentative of the true Vietnam. I believe the author identified those things that he expected to feel rather than actually let- ting the culture in. His investigation was very poor, reminiscent of the The Dude Who Went to Vietnam. The only facts actually reported were about the Cu Chi Tunnel. As for the Apocalypse Now bar, there is a huge mural painted on the wall behind the bar depicting the helicopter attack scene in the movie. Lasser must have had his eyes closed or doesn't take the time to report the facts. I think the Vietnamese have a far greater idea of what the name of the bar represents than a stoner from Venice Beach, CA. Anthony Billings Beverly Hills, CA THIRD ANNIVERSARY ISSUE I am a South African chick currently residing in the United States. What a delight to f ind your magazine on the shelves of my nearest and dearest newsstand in Virginia ! Finally my search for a current, funky, adventure lifestyle magazine is over. I have just finished reading your 'humanwear' issue (September 2000) and loved the piece on Eddy Matzger skating Mt Kil i. It reminded me of a friend of mine Grant Oliver. He is a 23-year-old free spirited engineer who decided to make his way up the coast of Mozambique in a single-seat kite-driven buggy that he designed. Olivia Hart Winchester, VA You've certain ly got ba lls by being wi ll ing to celebrate both an in-line skates climb of Kilimanjaro (causing erosion) and John Muir's environmentalism (seeking conser- vation) in the same issue (September 2000)! Mike Wood Kingwood, TX In your most recent issue of blue magazine, you featured an article about capoeira. It is refreshing and exciting to see the sometimes unrecognized art form of capoeira chronicled by a magazine like blue. Unfortunately, you didn't mention an important academy, Capoeira Batuque, in Santa Monica, CA. I should hope that an informa- tive and media sawy magazine such as yourselves would have the integrity to research small independent schools, as wel l as the larger more established schools. Amy Santo Santa Monica, CA I am an avid reader of blue, and I am thorough ly impressed with the content of the magazine. Awesome artic les, photography, and reviews make this the most appeal- ing, hip adventure magazine out there. I was intrigued by "Confronting American Myths in Vietnam" (September 2000), and decided to learn more about Vietnam. I went to my favorite adventure site, ZuluSports.com where they have tons of infor- mation on Vietnam including points of interest, facts for the traveler, money and costs and great information about the adventure sports to partake in. ZuluSports.com covers hundreds of destinations, traveling tips, gear reviews, and adventure sports and may be of interest to the readers of blue. It is refreshing to find such incredible resources as these to help make the most of each adventure. Caty Gartland San Francisco, CA My sister teaches high school English just outside Boston and has been using blue articles to help some of her students get more into reading. A lot of her kids who wouldn't otherwise read much on their own are now a bit more psyched about it through blue. Ben Kopke New York, NY I'm writing from Argentina. I discovered your magazine a couple of weeks ago and found it really amazing. There's nothing like this here in my country. The design, as well as the content, is awesome. Congratulations to all of you! I bought the June/July issue and I really loved "Globetrotter Dogma." I love backpacking and not many people understand the pleasure of traveling without a fixed schedu . wanderi about until I really like your magazine, but I wasn' t crazy about the advice one writer recently gave. In "Globetrotter Dogma" (June/July 2000), Bruce Northam says he uses a fake journalist's ID to get into concerts, sports events and parties. Note to gatekeepers: Real journalists don't use ID to get into events. If they're actually covering an event, they make arrangements beforehand. If they're not covering an event, they buy a ticket like everyone else. It's against the ethics code of every newspaper and news agency for which I've ever worked to ask for free entry to an event unle : 1'" d t b th I ... , ; \, < ~ )'1· t ·t t I wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your magazine. I subscribe to Outside and Nationa/ Geographic Adventure, and I like them both a lot. But blue's funky design, lack of commercial overkill and unpretentious writing real- ly sets it apart. Thanks for producing such a unique and original publication. PS Your letter, "Life @ the Speed of Thought" (June/July 2000), really struck a chord with me. I've got two kids, two jobs, a big mortgage and zero personal time. I live vicariously through adventure magazines like yours. The notion of actually executing my whimsical wilderness ideas is extremely compelling. But the unfortunate reality is that I'm firmly stuck in the corporate/suburban rut. The most I can hope for is a few hours of surfing or kayaking on the weekends. Thanks for tickling my imagination. Kenneth Coles Howell, NJ The letter you wrote about Bill Gates and the speed of thought (June/July 2000) was great- a definite inspiration to me. Thank you for sending out something that needed to be said, now we need that to get out to corporate America. Samantha Teofilo Big Bear Mountain, CA PLEASE SEND LETTERS, COMMENTS AND IDEAS FOR PUBLICATION IN blue BY POST: 611 BROADWAY, SUITE 405, NEW YORK, NY, 10012, USA ATTENTION : LETTERS TO THE EDITOR/AMY SCHRIER BY EMAIL: LETTERS_TO_TH E_EDITOR@BLU EMAGAZINE.COM LETTERS MAY BE ED ITED FOR SPACE AND CLARITY