Mail letters to Letters, Santa Fe Reporter, PO Box 2306, Santa Fe, NM 87504, deliver them to 132 E. Marcy St., fax them to 505-988-5348 or email them to the editor.
Best Of Some
Having visited Santa Fe two to three times a year since 1980, I read your "Best Of" issue with great interest. I cannot help noticing, however, that in the Arts & Entertainment section you have categories for such things as "experimental" bands, yet categories that would apply to classical music, Broadway, American standards, etc. are missing. World-class opera, chamber music festivals, etc. don't seem to have a niche to compete in your system. Likewise, the local fans of the music of Michael Buble and Diana Krall have no voice to vote on the Doug Montgomery, Charles Tichenor, David Geist type of music that is unique to a city the size of Santa Fe—talent good enough for James Taylor and Michael Feinstein to seek out when in Santa Fe.
I realize many regard all of this as music for old farts, but I noticed a younger contingent at the Opera last night, if not Vanessie or Pranzo Italian Grill. If purely from a demographic and advertising standpoint, I think the Santa Fe Reporter should have some categories for these entities to compete in—on satellite radio, Siriusly Sinatra/High Standards consistently has higher listener numbers than the blues stations.
Craig Reitz MD
Edmond, Okla.
Twelve Eyes
We seem to be living in a world where the consensus is to defer responsibility to someone else and avoid taking responsibility for one's own actions. It's always the other person's fault.
Take the case of the recent traffic accident on Old Las Vegas Highway. All those kids dead, why? Where's the responsibility for what happened? While my heart goes out to the families, the fact remains that Scott Owens was not the only one driving a car. There were two cars, two drivers and six pairs of eyes that night.
I've seen that stretch of the road…it's straight and long. No corners, hills or twists. It was after midnight. It's dark then. You can see headlights long before you are close enough to hit another car. Scott had been drinking so his eyes and attention weren't top-notch. But in the other car, we have a sober driver, a front passenger and three in the back. NO ONE saw the headlights coming until it was too late to avoid a collision? Who was paying attention to the road? A daylight collision would be more unavoidable and understandable. But at night, when headlights shine for miles?
There must be a reason then for the New Mexico law that states a young driver is not supposed to be driving between midnight and 5 am unless someone over 21 is with them: experience. Knowing what to do, when and how to do it.
Maybe the good that can come out of this is a wake-up call to other young drivers and their families.
Everyone is crying about the deaths and is busy condemning Scott. I hope the judge and jury remember that there were two drivers who should have been paying attention to what they were doing that night.
Lois Bozon
Santa Fe
Upcoming Abuse
I am the guy Alex De Vore met for the first time outside of the Aztec Café and [the guy he] mentioned in his article. Though I was not misquoted, I was surely misunderstood. I was not referring to Mr. De Vore's opinion (I often agree with his assessments); I was referring to the quality of his writing. I was not criticizing him for "doing [his] job" but, rather, his poor execution of said job. He is a mediocre writer and the topic has come up more than once among people I know in the music community. His misinterpretation of "awful writing" to mean "awful opinions" does not say much for his critical abilities, but I'll leave that for another day.
Christopher Craig
Santa Fe
Muggle Gallery
As an adult Harry Potter fan, and the parent of two ardent JK Rowling purists, I must say that Half-Blood Prince had its flaws but fewer than Alex De Vore's review. He skips key elements of book/film six, replacing [them] with those from the previous film—starting with the late character punned in the headline who dies in five, followed by 15 percent of the review focusing on a quasi-accurate psych appraisal of a fraction of the setting from the end of the last movie. Nowhere does he mention this film's title Half-Blood Prince or the primary (seven) plot points of the Horcruxes [Editor's note: The title is named in the first paragraph of the review].
If the "state of terror" he mentions is important, then it contradicts his own complaint regarding the inappropriateness of the opening sequence. The true flaw of that scene was the kidnapping of Ollivander that should open film seven. In turn, Harry's changed emotions to hormones and desperation are from the book, not Radcliffe's "trouble conveying."
David Yates' increased focus on romance and added scenes of violence (and fire) seemed courageous attempts at giving fans some surprises, while risking certain complaints. The screenwriter, director and costumer also deserve the credit for Malfoy's transition, more than Tom Felton's ability to muster tears that impressed De Vore. It is Helena Bonham Carter who steals this film, but the review ignores this.
Finally, my daughters (and I) insist the exact opposite of his contention that "for avid readers, the film holds true to the story line but fails to capture the darker subtext." Again, perhaps he is thinking of film five.
Matt Fenton
Santa Fe
Yes on CSF
It is imperative that the city purchase the College of Santa Fe campus [see SFReeper.com for ongoing coverage]. I understand the fears of my fellow citizens because it is a large commitment, but I am 100 percent confident that with the rent from Laureate [Education Inc.], the bonds can be repaid. Laureate, an established university system with 42 schools worldwide, will spend millions to repair college buildings, so we can trust they will be here to stay. Laureate will improve the campus' value, bringing more students here than CSF did. There is much potential for this to bring positive things to Santa Fe—we must not miss this opportunity.
The alternative, if the city does NOT buy this property, is that [the land] could be divided up and/or sold to developers, possibly for a mall or other businesses that Santa Fe does NOT need. Santa Fe NEEDS this school—it will become a central entity for so many residents.
Julia Small
Santa Fe
The Reporter welcomes original, signed letters to the editor. Letters (no more than 200 words) should refer to speci?c articles in the Reporter. They may be edited for clarity and space. Include address and phone number for veri?cation purposes; these will not be published.
