In Bob Norman's article "The Miniacis and the Mafiosi" (July 2), there were allegations made toward one particular vending company that I felt were used to refer to the vending industry as a whole.
While I cannot speak for that one company, we at Pan-Am Vend-Tronics Corp., as well as many other companies throughout South Florida, run a totally professional and hard-working operation. We have been in the business for 49 years serving schools, churches, the government, and private businesses as well as nightclubs, bars, and restaurants. We provide a first-class, quality service to our customers and are proud of the job we do.
Before making such wide-ranging generalities regarding the stereotyping of an industry, you may want to consider taking the time to research the current state of affairs within it. Irresponsible statements based on assumption and hearsay can sometimes have unintentional damaging results. Just remember what happens when one assumes.
Jeff Stubins, CEO
Pan-Am Vend-Tronics Corp.
Hialeah
Hey John, Brad Says You're a White Slaver
This is an open letter to all johns who make use of street prostitutes ("Importing Miami's Vice," Dan Lovely, June 25). The women and girls you solicit sex from and pay $10 or $20 for are being exploited. As punishment for exploiting others, you should be forced to put your mothers and daughters on the street. Then you'll know prostitution is not victimless. Even where prostitution is legal, as in Amsterdam, the women who are not "marketable" for the red-light district walk the streets against the law for cheap tricks.
Most johns don't see themselves as "white slavers," but they really are. Even men who get off on lap dances at strip clubs are taking advantage of women, who for whatever reason, find this work the only means of survival. Society denounces and decries all men and women who exploit others for material gain, but why is sexual exploitation OK? What's wrong with this picture?
Brad Cohen
Boynton Beach
WAMI: The Talent Is on the Street but Not on the Set
Regarding Robert Andrew Powell's article on the new WAMI-TV ("Birth of a Station," June 25), I strongly disagree with his depiction of Miami's local talent pool as a bunch of rejects from The Gong Show. As a Miami casting director, I come into contact with extremely talented locals every day. National and international producers realize they can book great talent and crews in South Florida.
Station editor in chief Matti Leshem and producer Malcolm Bird are spending too much time looking in the mirror and worrying too much about registering high on the "hip" scale. Not everyone needs a daily dose of South Beach mania. There are plenty of talented actors, musicians, writers, and poets to fill Lincoln Lounge. The producers just aren't looking hard enough or in the right places.
Dorothy Legge
Connelly-Legge Casting
South Miami-Dade
Correction
In the Undercurrents column of April 30, we incorrectly reported that a veteran photographer of the Sun-Sentinel was fired for sexually harassing a 16-year-old intern. While a veteran photographer was terminated, that was not the ground for the termination. We regret the error.
