In light of all the initialed organizations, namely MADD, SADD, DADD, that are against drinking and driving, I think perhaps Pepsi or 7-Up might be the way to go. Then there are the other initialed organizations that may be waiting for you to leave the theater, namely BSO and FHP. So unless the six-pack you are referring to is a guy with great abs, I think it best to leave the malt beverages home. By the way, it is kids age 8 and under that get in free, not 9, as stated in your paper. (Unless, of course, you can stash them in your trunk until you pass through the admission gate!) Anyway, keep up the good work.
Jerri Tall
Hollywood
And do it to Rachmaninoff: I don't understand how Rebecca Wakefield could use such terms as "hodgepodge" and "misguided mishmash" in referring to WLRN's pre-1999 programming ("The Battle for Bach," May 16). Perhaps her head has been filled with some real "misguided mishmash" by the station managers.
In fact, the pre-1999 schedule was varied and delightful. I was a big fan of such excellent musical shows as "Drums of Steel," "Afro-Pop," and "Music from the Hearts of Space," all of which were victims of the January 1999 massacre. The hatchet job on classical music at WLRN began more than a year before that, when Sunday afternoon broadcasts of the St. Louis Symphony were replaced with a rebroadcast of the previous evening's "Prairie Home Companion." My e-mail complaint to the station brought a response from Joseph Cooper stating, "No one listens to the St. Louis Symphony."
The January 1999 massacre eliminated the final remnant of classical music from WLRN, the excellent "Performance Today," which had been running two hours per night, five nights per week. Musically, the station became a virtual all-jazz station, with five nights a week devoted to four hours of "local jazz." I have nothing against jazz, but it is, to put it mildly, not the music of choice for a majority of the listening population.
The disgraceful demolition of WTMI last December failed to inspire WLRN to make any effort to compensate by putting any classical music back on the air -- as per the article, only community pressure brought back two hours a week, and, as you quoted Judy Drucker, "big deal!"
I was a loyal member and zealous fundraising volunteer at WLRN for ten years. However, this "no one" no longer supports them. I resort to my records, tapes, and CDs, and, if I want classical radio, my computer can pull it from all over the world.
Richard H. Rosichan
Miami Beach
...surely isn't so rabid: The tale of D. James Kennedy's antigay crusade ("Cross Purposes," May 2) reminds me of Dr. Seuss's story of the Star-Bellied Sneetches.
Reverend Kennedy is a veritable Sylvester McMonkey McBean, taking money from those who wish to no longer be hated for their starless bellies and selling them Eternal Salvation with the help of his magic, star-making machine.
If gay-bashing were suddenly unprofitable, I'm sure he'd offer a machine to remove those stars faster than you can say "Fox in Socks."
Erin Ferdinand
Minneapolis
No fish story here, though: I read your story, "Cross Purposes," with great interest and would like to make an observation. There are many who claim to be religious gays, or gay Christians. As such, they are claiming that Jesus never condemned homosexuality.
I am not aware of the theology of the Metropolitan Community Church, but the Bible does teach that Jesus is eternally God (John 1:1). In Leviticus 18:4, it says, "I am the Lord your God. Keep my laws and decrees." And in verse 22, it says, "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." This Old Testament verse would be consistent with the New Testament verses of 1 Corinthians 6:9 and Romans 1:26,27.
If Jesus is the eternal Lord God, then it was he, in his preincarnated state, who gave the command to "keep my laws and decrees" and that a man "must not lie with a man as he does a woman." In the Old Testament, God was Jehovah, and in the New, he is Jesus. It's only a name-switch. Jesus condemns no one; neither should Christians condemn anyone. The "Purpose of the Cross" was that all might come unto repentance and find eternal life through the Savior.
Jim Black
via the Internet
Shallow reader: While the lengthy article by Gaspar González about Cuban baseball maven Vicente Lopez was long and boring, I can't understand why it was run in the Broward-Palm Beach edition of New Times ("El Béisbolista," April 18).
Great for a Calle Ocho throwaway or the Nuevo Herald (isn't that the same thing?), but what did it have to do with this bi-county area? Obviously, nothing! Also on the cover, it was written that Lopez "pitched from Havana to Miami to Dania," but that's bullshit and a lie! The word "Dania" was used to make your readers think that the article had something to do with a part of Broward County and therefore was acceptable. It's not! The truth probably is that the New Times staff just got lazy and thought you could pawn this bullcrap article on us in Broward and not have to research another story. How lazy can you get?
In closing, Dania is never mentioned in the article! Just another New Times scam (much like Jen Karetnick's restaurant reviews.). Oh, in no way is this meant to demean Vicente Lopez -- just the lazy asses at New Times!
Harvey Slavin
Hollywood
Editor's note: Thanks for the kind words, Harvey, but you're wrong. The story described how Lopez spent 20 years of his life working in Dania. May we recommend an Evelyn Woods course?
Not the editorial: I'm writing to let you know my thoughts about your magazine. First off, it is great for when I want to find out about what concerts are going to be coming to town. Also, I like it for locating movies and restaurants. There's one thing that I don't like, though, and that's all the ads in the back. Particularly the strip clubs, the swingers' clubs, XXX video shops, and the call girl/guy ads. Up to page 69 (no pun intended), it's a very respectable and informative paper. It's not the sort of paper you can leave in the waiting room of a doctor's office, though, because of the trash found in the back.
I believe there's a place for everything, and your paper shouldn't be the place for that kind of garbage. Maybe you might consider a pullout section for that stuff. Or just create a whole paper strictly for that kind of advertising so I can avoid having to deal with that garbage altogether. I hope that you don't take this too lightly, because I know of a lot of people who feel the same way. You might want to survey it. Who knows? I could be right.
Chris Kaminski
via the Internet
The "Best Buyout" item in our May 16 Best of Broward-Palm Beach issue incorrectly stated where Fort Lauderdale Assistant City Manager Pete Witschen was searching for work. It was South Carolina. New Times regrets the error.
