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DETAIL AND DEPORT
Kudos to Kathleen Parker for her well-written letter [Letters, Nov. 2: "
"]. Only Washington can resolve an immigration mess that draws a growing number of illegal immigrants across the nation's borders every year. The comment that we are "a nation of immigrants" is essentially meaningless; every nation on the planet is composed of people who once immigrated from elsewhere.
I was reading where 14 women from South America were caught working illegally in the northern city of Monterrey, Mexico; nine of the women were from Venezuela, two were from Argentina and three were from Brazil.
Authorities detained them in a house of refugees, where 12 were transferred to Mexico City and deported back to their countries. The two women that remained detained are from Venezuela and had been returned back to their country and had re-entered Mexico one more time.
Mexico reinforces its right to control its borders and detains and deports anyone who arrives without proper documentation. Other countries probably marvel at our naivete for feeling like we can't control our own borders.
Corine Flores
Santa Fe
TYPE GRIPE
I have just tried to read the Nov. 9 issue. The new choice of typeface for the classified section is annoyingly difficult to read, but at least I can read it. However, it is impossible to read Rob Brezsny or Robert Odom without a magnifying glass. How much space could you have saved by these ridiculous changes? I do not carry a magnifying glass with me on most days so am not likely to be a reader of SFR with such a crappy layout.
Richard Hughes
Santa Fe
NOT NORMAL
Thank you for the interview with Agnes Maldonado on domestic violence [SFR Talk, Nov. 9: "
"]. Domestic violence is one of the most insidious crimes we have. It comes in all forms, and knows no ethnic, cultural or economic limitations. Ms. Maldonado's assertion that we must begin with the education of children was a profound statement. What children see and experience in the home is what they will believe is happening in all homes; it is what they come to see as normal.
I feel there are only two greater crimes than domestic violence: the belief by those living with violence that this is normal or deserved, and for the crime of domestic violence to be ignored by the community.
As difficult as it may be for members of the community to make calls to the police department and child protective services, calls must be made. Those calls may quite literally be the difference between life and death for families dealing with domestic violence. The more a community stands united in the protection of its children or any of its members living with violence, the stronger the community becomes.
Lian Reed
Santa Fe
SPOT SELL-OUT
I share Jonanna Widner's woe for the lack of a good music scene in the "City Different." But is the solution to demand that the local government supply musicians with venues [J Spot, Nov. 9: "
?"]? If that turns out to be the case, we'll all be dancing to Bill Richardson's greatest hits until he runs in 2008.
No serious artist or musician moves anywhere expecting to be coddled by the local government, or do they? Is that ridiculous notion what makes this city so "different?"
This town needs more genuine talent and people with enough capital to start venues and invest in them privately. If that seems like selling out, how is agitating for the government to give you places to play not selling out?
State-sponsored and state-controlled music venues would be just that: state-controlled. But there's always Albuquerque.
Javier Benedict
Santa Fe
SPOT ON
Jonanna rocks [J Spot, Oct. 12: "
"]. About time the truth be out there. Was house ever alive? Musicians wouldn't notice if it dropped off the earth entirely. The basis is vinyl. If musicians weren't playing, making records, being creative, etc., what would DJs spin? Plagiarism on a good day is my personal opinion. I ask you this: How do you know when your shoes are dry? The house music stops...
Case Tanner
Santa Fe
CASHLESS SOCIETY
I write in response to the mean-spirited letter written by Lynn Boca with regard to the
Future of Fine Art
show at the Gerald Peters Gallery [Letters, Nov. 2: "
"]. In particular, I would like to set the record straight regarding her contention that the young artists were only there because they are financially privileged.
My son, Christopher Merlyn, was one of the artists featured in that show. He has been selling his artwork since he was 16 and two years ago, at the age of 19, won a national competition juried by the curator of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I am a writer and about as far removed from the trust fund set as it's possible to be. In other words, my son comes from a place that can clearly be defined as all talent, no cash.
It takes courage for a young person to go out and try to make it as an artist these days, especially in today's dysfunctional culture laced with commercialism and greed. If only more galleries would set aside space for upcoming artists to show their work, the Gerald Peters Gallery event would not have been so unusual.
In the meantime, if Devin Peters was able to talk his dad into showcasing a handful of young artists-in-the-making, then good for him! Even the talented cannot succeed without exposure…and the untalented won't make it anyway, no matter how much money they have.
Anya Sebastian
Santa Fe
ROOT OF THE MATTER
Loved your article on root vegetables [Cover story Nov. 2, Winter Guide 2005: "
17 Reasons for Vegetarians to Dig Winter
"] but there is some botanical confusion perpetrated in the section on cipollini onions. Cipollini onions are only distantly related to grape hyacinths. The lily family is a big family and not all the cousins actually speak to each other. It's true that cipollini onions (
allium cepa
) are in the lily family but they are from the
allium
branch.
Alliums
are only distant relatives of the grape hyacinth (
muscari armenicum
).
Grape hyacinth bulbs are not listed as edible. The flowers of some varieties of grape hyacinths are supposedly edible; their flavor is reported to be grapey, slightly sour with a bitter aftertaste.
The confusion may be related to the fact that there is a variant of the grape hyacinth whose scientific name is
muscari comosum
which is commonly called edible muscari or cipollini. Here is a wonderful example of the importance of knowing the botanical names of plants because these are not the grape hyacinths most people have in their gardens.
And while we are correcting botanical errors: Irises are only remotely related to leeks. Iris rhizomes are nasty to eat, causing nausea and other forms of gastric distress. Iris stems are likely to be toxic as well.
Stick with the cipollini onions and the leeks but leave the grape hyacinth bulbs and the iris stems alone.
Anita Sanders
Santa Fe
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