Rustic the restaurant is indeed. And the review could have read like a Hemingway novel, if written better. Karetnick likens it to a lodge in the Peruvian jungle. Huh? It would have made a ton of more sense to liken it to a fishing lodge in Alaska! And it also would have made a lot more sense to mention the lodge and the automated phone system in the same paragraph. For example, she could have written, "The automated telephone system is the modern antithesis to the overall ambience, which is reminiscent of an Alaskan fishing lodge." Instead, she writes: "...fish fanatics fulfill fantasies with a variety of fillets...." Gee, is this a generic regurgitation of a former review of a fish market? Let me tell you what Jen did not say. The pompano at Rustic Inn is a whole fish! And the shrimp arrabiata is a delicious serving of eight jumbo shrimp over linguini in a mildly spicy tomato marinara sauce. As for clam chowder having a bacon flavor, what the hell is she talking about?
Jen's attention to the crabs shortchanged the reader. She leaves out the fact that the Rustic Inn does a brisk takeout business from a takeout window in the back of the restaurant. The crabs can be gotten to go, in convenient plastic buckets. I am not affiliated with the restaurant. I am an occasional customer.
Marc Smilen
via the Internet
Key West antics: I am a former resident of Key West. I lived there for almost 18 years, beginning in 1982. I clearly recall the arrival of the Catman. In a town full of oddities, his trained-cat act was the talk of the town. Many locals, long ago bored with the Sunset Celebration, made a special pilgrimage to view his amazing show ("The Quest for the Catman," Amy Roe, November 1).
Over the years, I have seen him many times. An especially noteworthy performance came while I was working a remote gig for a local radio station. A large and fluffy gray Persian cat did the famous ring-of-fire leap. As the cat nearly cleared the flaming hoop, the tip of its tail brushed the blazing ring and the fur burst into flame. Without alarm by cat or man, [Dominique] LeFort reached down and casually snuffed the flame in his fist. The act continued without hesitation.
Because of my broadcast position "backstage," near his cat crates, only LeFort and I were witness to the incident. The consummate showman proceeded as if no harm had occurred. The cat never flinched. His understanding of the mind of the cat is truly amazing... and a bit disturbing, for some reason. Nonetheless, he is one of Key West's greatest attractions.
Gregg Wynn
Fort Lauderdale
Now tell us, would it help to bribe the INS? Bob Norman's article "Admitting Terror" (October 18) was a true public service. It's shameful how indifferent our authorities are regarding immigration. Having lived in Mexico, Uruguay, Spain, and Japan, among other places, I can tell you that those countries make it difficult for foreigners to live there. Ask anyone who has. Bribes help, of course, but a foreigner who risks a Japanese or Mexican prison is out of his mind.
Keep up the great investigative work.
E. Howard Hunt
Biscayne Park
Editor's note: For more than 20 years, Hunt worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. He later gained notoriety as a member of the Nixon administration's "plumbers" team of covert political operatives.
But don't expect anything other than self-serving spin: Regarding Bob Norman's article, it's grimly ironic, to say the least, that the Immigration and Naturalization Service was not even remotely as hard-nosed with deadly terrorists as it was with a helpless child, Elián Gonzalez. Obviously politics was involved, and quite probably anti-Cuban bias, which you wrote about in "Elián Plus One" (April 19). Nevertheless, the agency owes everyone an explanation, especially the loved ones of those killed on September 11.
I doubt, however, that the INS will ever offer much beyond self-serving damage control. Unfortunately, the damage caused by Mohamed Atta and his cohorts can never be undone.
Jay Donnegal
Miami
Lloyd sure ain't a rabbi: Susan Eastman's follow-up to her Orwellian piece about reactions to the September 11 disaster was a big improvement. People like Lloyd Shank ("The Hate Man," October 18) are nothing more than pathetic losers unable to nurture the best America has to offer.
Imagine -- this hateful asshole couldn't even muster the $600 to front his $6000 bond to get out of jail! (And his girlfriend was smart enough to keep him locked up for two weeks too.) Shank is simply the garden variety of hatemonger -- nothing special about him, other than he needs a haircut and looks like Ebenezer Scrooge in the photo New Times ran of him. We've heard his type of yip-yap dozens of times before. Nothing new here.
Amazingly, this ignoramus said that distrust of Jews came from reading the Bible! Doesn't he know that his savior, Jesus Christ, was a Jewish rabbi? Is it he you distrust, Lloyd, or just his Jewish teachings? You do know Christianity was invented after Jesus was crucified by the Romans, don't you?
In closing, how ironic that Jewish lawyers and the ACLU defended this daffy old schmuck!
Harvey Slavin
Hollywood
We're down about this: National Depression Screening Day took place this year on October 11. The media played an important and major role in helping to get out the word about this important project and encourage those who may be silently suffering to seek the help they need and deserve.
Regrettably, the announcement of National Depression Screening Day in New Times was probably meant to be lighthearted but instead was insensitive and misinformed ("Night & Day," October 11). Most people with clinical depression do not "spend their days curled up in a fetal position in bed." People with depression are doctors and lawyers and waitresses and clerks. They are our mothers and fathers, our sisters and brothers, our children, our neighbors. They are old and young, and rich and poor; they are of all ethnic and social backgrounds. Clinical depression costs our economy $44 billion a year. It is one of this country's greatest public health issues.
The public is very often misguided about mental illnesses; we expect more from New Times. If you missed the opportunity to be screened, don't let stigma and misinformation get in your way. You can call the Mental Health Association of Broward County at 954-746-2055 to arrange for a screening at a location near you.
Marcia Pinck, Campaign Director
Mental Health Association
Fort Lauderdale
Erratum: In the November 8 issue, New Times incorrectly reported that the restaurant Mineo's is out of business. Mineo's is in fact still in operation and is located at 4621 Griffin Rd. in Davie. We regret the error.
