Leaf-less nation
Re Leafs Crash Out of Playoffs (Sports, May 14): As a die-hard Toronto Maple Leafs fan, doubt turned into reprieve, which morphed into jubilation as I watched Monday night. But then came anxiety, concern, and fear – fear that eventually led to horror, followed by bouts of rage, disbelief, sorrow and denial. All this in three manic hours, the time it takes for a single team to swell, then crush its followers' hopes.
In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter. Or so people say. But try and put things into perspective, and you can't. You won't. You refuse to just let it go because that would be too easy. You want to feel remorseful, let down, betrayed. You want to feel something in exchange for all the time you invested watching, following, cheering.
The thing is, the feelings don't just float into oblivion. Imagine watching the most heartbreaking movie, then just flipping the switch from devastated to indifferent. Except the film went on for months, not hours.
Why? Why do people continue to throw blind faith at the walls that are sports teams, hoping something sticks? Why bother when the odds suggest despair is inevitable? Because being a fan is about loyalty, about seeing it through until the end, even when all hope is lost.
Because sometimes feeling something is better than feeling nothing at all.
Chris Doyle, St. John's
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Although we Boston fans are revelling in the amazing comeback of the Bruins, our hearts go out to Leafs fans. We have felt your pain many times over the years, but that is the beauty of sports.
If the Red Sox could do it after decades of futility, the Leafs will have their turn – just, one hopes, not at the expense of our Bruins.
Edwin Andrews, Malden, Mass.
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My first hockey memory was as a kid with my dad at Maple Leaf Gardens during the dying days of the 1999 season. I can't remember who won, but the next winter my dad signed up my younger brother and I for skating lessons and eventually hockey. I was 6 or 7, but I started much later than my friends; my parents had moved here from Trinidad and Tobago just a few years before I was born. They couldn't skate, yet they engaged our family in the great Canadian pastime of hockey.
Initially, my dad and I didn't even know how to put on the equipment. Yet my parents went to all our practices, games and tournaments. My family became great fans of our home team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Monday's big game didn't turn out the way I wanted, but it reminded me of the love and passion for hockey that was inspired in my dad to sign up my brother and me for hockey. I thank the Leafs for a great playoff series, and for all the team has done for me, my family, my city and my country. I will always be a loyal Leafs fan. Go Leafs, Go!
Xavier Agostini, Montreal
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Not so fast
The Hemda Centre for Science Education in Tel Aviv may well be "one of the world's great schools for bright kids," but Canada has little to learn from Israel's approach to educating all students (What Israel Can Teach Canada – May 14). Israeli 15-year-olds ranked 42nd out of 73 countries assessed in the science portion of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) test administered by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Canadian students ranked eighth. Israeli students ranked 37th in reading and 42nd in math versus sixth and 10th respectively for Canadian students.
H.B. Hutter, Toronto
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Ballots and bravery
I am humbled and deeply touched by the courage exhibited by Pakistanis as they came out in large numbers to vote, in spite of terrorist threats, bomb attacks and killings (Pakistani Democracy Gets The Upper Hand On Danger – May 14). The turnout was 60 per cent, more than we see in most Western democracies. What was most encouraging was the large number of women and youths who voted, many for the first time.
Pakistan's challenges are many, internal and external, and the new government does not have majority support from provinces other than Punjab. However, Pakistanis have proven to be a resilient and brave bunch; I hope that this democratic awakening will keep them engaged and that they will hold their leaders responsible and accountable.
My concern looking at election results is how Pakistanis have chosen provincial governments along ethnic lines. I pray that national interest will win over ethnic and provincial rivalries.
As disappointed as I am that Imran Khan did not win a majority, the next five years will be an important opportunity for him and his party to gain experience in practical politics.
Shahina Siddiqui, Winnipeg
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Out to get you?
Re U.S. Attorney-General Holder Orders Probe Into IRS Targeting Of Conservative Groups (online, May 14): The IRS is deep in damage control with revelations that it may have abused its office by paying inordinate attention to Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations. Nonetheless, it gives credence to the adage: Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get you.
Ross Howey, Toronto
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Imagine that
Re Pragmatic Conservatives Missing In The Climate Change Debate (online, May 14): Your article asks readers to "imagine a group of pragmatic and sensible Canadians, with clear expertise in environmental and fiscal issues but no particular political affiliation … just impassionate, independent and trustworthy experts who can help Canadians sort out and understand [climate change's] many complexities."
We had such a group. It was called the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy. Environment Minister Peter Kent and the PMO saw fit to abolish it.
Chris Gates, Pickering, Ont.
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Bugged by weight
Before dropping 165 pounds from my 5'3" frame, I weighed just north of 300 pounds (Is The Obesity-industrial Complex Making Us Fat? – May 13). Menopausal and morbidly obese, no amount of government intervention or regulation could have stopped me from consuming a super-sized, fat- and sugar-laden lunch or deterred me from wolfing down a bag of chips. It was only a jarring personal realization that I was killing myself with food that brought about change.
Blaming the food industry for our ballooning waists is easy. However, it's high time we took personal responsibility and became accountable for our food choices. Self-discipline is required, not government intervention.
Cathy Bergman, Brébeuf, Que.
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Re Want To Fight Obesity? Snack On Bugs (May 14): Sure, I would eat insects – but it would depend quite a lot on what vintage they drowned in.
William Emigh, Victoria