Steve Gonzales
Fort Lauderdale
Suuuuppperrr Bob! Just wanted to say that I love to read your articles. Every week, I wait impatiently for the next edition.... Keep up the superb work.
Freddy Elias
Coconut Creek
A lawsuit speaks: Your article on Steven West ("Wild, Wild West," August 29) indicated I knew West from the early '90s; I in fact met him in late 1997, when he brokered the deal merging Garden State Limousine with a Texas-based company. You also indicate I told you he wore cowboy boots to hide his ankle bracelet. I simply said it was possible. I have no first-hand knowledge of this, and I believe he was off probation when I became actively involved with him. Since I am in pending litigation with West, I do not want any problems regarding this misstatement.
Lee LaPoint
via the Internet
Get that man! Good job on the Steven West story! Maybe someone will really do something now.
Chris Antonelli
Providence, RI
A whimsical sense of geography: Just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed Susan Eastman's featured story in the August 22 New Times and appreciate the research that she put into it ("Net Free"). It seems I'm learning more and more about butterflies every day. The [Coconut Creek] city clerk excitedly brought the paper to me, pointing out that there was another "must-read" article about our extended family. The only disappointment came with the reference to another city. Butterfly World is located in Coconut Creek. We are very proud of our relationship with the attraction and the wonderful work of the Boender family.
Thank you for promoting the joy of butterfly gardening. My landscape architects will add it to their reference material as we work to enhance our surroundings at the City Hall (which has been certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat) and develop educational programs for homeowner associations. Keep up the good work!
John Kelly, City Manager
Coconut Creek
He'll cooperate: I'm a member of the North American Butterfly Association. I do not collect butterflies. I avidly video them, but I have no objection to collecting, with the exception of exceptionally rare species. I believe that most of the work being done on butterfly taxonomy requires the collecting of series of specimens. I support this work, because I see no other way to understand this.
My experience with other NABA members is that some are anticollecting but most are not. I believe that alienating scientists and collectors is counterproductive. We noncollectors have much to learn from them about identification and distribution. I also believe that those of us who take pictures can contribute. A number of species can be distinguished only by examination of the genitalia. Perhaps those of us who take pictures can come up with ways to separate them visually. This obviously will require many photos, but it is a worthy goal.
The identification of butterflies without collecting them is in the early stages, equivalent to where birds were in the 1930s. As we continue to look, we will continue to learn.
David Powell
Brandon, FL
Cut Galanga some slack, Jen: I beg to differ with Jen's little review, if I dare ("Baby Elephant Steps," August 1). I've eaten several times at Galanga, and on every single occasion, I've had an exceptional dinner! It could have been her bad luck that she might have received an untrained waiter on her one visit; God knows, when a new restaurant opens, there are some wrinkles to iron out.
Regarding her remark on the laminated review she called "bragging," could it be the owner might be proud of what he accomplished, being a new restaurant owner? And let's not forget the "so-called crabmeat" in the soup -- I don't see her writing about all the "so-called crabmeat" in just about every California roll between here and L.A.... Hey Jen, call me for 50 cents, so you can buy a clue!
William VanMerkestyn
via the Internet
A cage match... with not too much heat: I want to thank Ashley Fantz for the insightful article based on Hot Jams Entertainment ("Caged Swelter," July 25). For a while, I have been curious about who or what Hot Jams was, and your article covered everything from what they charge to what the nightclub promoters expect.
I am constantly being confused with Hot Jams, and after reading your article, I can confidently say that, apart from the elaborate costumes and the fact that we both work in nightclubs, what we do is completely different.
I head a small but very skilled and talented performance troop called Circ X. Currently, we do a weekly show at Swig Bartini in the city of Weston (see Night and Day, page 20) that incorporates Cirque du Soleil-style roaming characters, elaborate stage shows, and erotic fetish and fire acts.
Diana Lozano
via the Internet
Come and get the editor... but stay away from the food critic: Just out of curiosity, why are there stickers all around town proclaiming "Chuck Strouse: World's Most Incompetant (sic) Jackass"? That comes as a surprise to me, because in my opinion, this newspaper is put together in a very articulate and professional manner.
Also, I want to mention how much I enjoy reading Jen Karetnick's honest restaurant reviews. I have to say, I read her section first, and there is nothing more sexy than when a woman speaks her mind! Keep up the good work.
Casey Ferrier
Fort Lauderdale
Chuck Strouse responds: I don't know who's putting up the stickers, but I suspect my wife. I LOVE 'EM, honey, though I wish you could spell.
A blast from... Al's past: I am writing in regard to a story you published almost a year ago, "Next Victim" (Jeff Stratton, October 4, 2001). I knew Al Galvez had a talent for very good song composition. Galvez can be very hard to work with, but I have to admit, the result is usually something very good, like the release of Home; it is my favorite recording that I have been involved with in my 20-something years of recording everything from punk rock in the '70s to classical students at the University of Miami to dance crap now. The insults hurled by people in a public forum were very disheartening to me. I myself am not as aggressive as Galvez, but if I were trying to actually do something stupid in the hopeless music arena, I might be even a bigger prick than he is.
Frank Albergaria
via the Internet
