Grilling

To the Editor:

After reading Rebecca Cook's "Engaging Experience" (Tucson Weekly, April 16), I found myself once again disturbed by the style of Cook's reviews. This one began with a negative slant towards El Parador, a negative slant that resulted from hearsay. I do not think it is wrong to have a friend's particular experience as a motive to visit an establishment, but to relay another's experience in a review is wrong. The article went on to give El Parador a better-than-average grade, yet the first quarter of the article could be detrimental to their business. As a manager of a local restaurant, I am familiar with both the positive and negative effects of reviews. I would urge that in the future Cook introduce her reviews from the viewpoint of her own rather than the experience of others.

--Scott Rebmann

General Manager, Presidio Grill


Super Soaker

To the Editor,

We've followed through on our suggestion to determine the seepage of the Rillito River ("Go With The Flow," Tucson Weekly, March 26) namely at two places where the stream was uniform in width and depth. The locations are about 1,200 feet below the Dodge bridge and about 800 feet above the Campbell bridge; that is above and below the two underground dams that have already been built to retard underground flowing of the river.

Mailbag Our measurement procedure was a basic one in hydrology, the "grapefruit method." In the late afternoon of March 27, we measured 97 (95) cubic feet per second at the Dodge site, and 49 (50) at the Campbell site (the numbers in brackets were obtained nearby with a survey method of the U.S. Geological Service). At noon of April 13 we measured 51 cfs at Dodge, and 4.3 cfs above Campbell; at the Campbell bridge, the river had already disappeared, after it had run some four months.

We conclude that the seepage over this stretch and time interval was sustained near 47 cfs. Our test is closely similar to the possible CAP input of about 40 cfs at Alvernon; in dry months that stream will be running till Tucson Boulevard.

--T. Gehrels, R. Carson, B.Gabrys, A. Gehrels, S. Gunawardena, J. Logan, T. Romantino


Crossing The Fineline

To the Editor:

I am writing to you to bring to your attention to yet another faux pas by the City Council and Mayor George Miller.

As you may already be aware, The Outrageous/Fineline property was recently purchased by Pima Community College, forcing our relocation. We will be relocating to 2520 N. Oracle Road, sans liquor license, due to misguided information provided by the Balboa Heights Neighborhood Association.

I am and have been the lead bartender at "The Line" for over two years. The Fineline is an establishment that caters to what "normal" people feel are misfits. We've had an impeccable record for over 14 years.

Recently, the City Council voted against the transfer of our liquor license. We were steamrollered by two neighborhood associations and the Oracle Boulevard Merchants Association, who used their children and recovering drug addicts as excuses to bully a group of people who are "different."

Well, we are different in so many ways that are apparently unfathomable by these narrow-minded bigots. While that may sound harsh, after being accused of contributing to the delinquency of minors, breaking liquor laws and being invited by the Teen Challenge people to relinquish our addictions (?), I feel it's my duty as a bartender, parent, taxpayer, and friend to Dick Plowman and my patrons to speak out.

I was a resident of Balboa Heights at one time, and I'm aware of the problems they deal with on an ongoing basis. But rather than blame our establishment for their problems, they need to look within. While the homeowners in this area may be attempting to clean up their neighborhood, the property owners/slumlords are renting to anyone who has cash. Everyone knows that if your credit sucks and you're being evicted, there's always a home for you in Sleepy Hollow or any of the apartments and trailers so often available in this stressed area.

Rather than work with us (and believe me, we tried), they voted down our liquor license. This will eliminate many of the fail-safes that our having to follow the liquor laws would have provided. And we have followed these laws to the letter--that's our job.

Drinking is not illegal if you are 21, but apparently if you are within the boundaries of the fascist state of Balboa Heights and would like a cocktail, you'll have to go to the Red Dog to get it.

Rather than make us partners in their struggle against the things we ourselves abhor, they've chosen to classify us with the drug dealers, addicts, prostitutes and transients. They've forced us into the position of enemy.

In closing, I would like to say that the Fineline must be freed from the chains of ignorance and intolerance imposed by our City Council, Mayor, and the neighborhood associations. The truth is out there.

--Bonnie Engelbrecht


Zak Attack

To the Editor,

Well, I'm supposed to be calling my state representatives and letting them know I'm in favor of letting new towns form, but I sat down with The Weekly and started reading Zachary Woodruff's movie reviews. They are wacky and wonderful and I thank you for hiring him.

--Charlotte Bender

Editor's note: We didn't hire Woodruff--we merely tolerate him.


Savaged

To the Editor,

In her "Savage Love" column (Tucson Weekly, April 30), Lisa Weeks not only makes harsh and untrue accusations against me, but chooses to viciously attack my character and my integrity. This comes from a music editor who has met with me once, who spoke to me for less than 10 minutes and until now, has largely ignored my band for nearly two years.

In her article, Lisa writes: "Don't forget, your local media are only as good as the information they get." And the very last line of her story is: "So in the future, just give us the facts, Ma'am."

I'd like nothing more.

The Tucson Weekly does receive monthly newsletters and weekly updates via E-mail from LeeAnne Savage & Shockadelica regarding upcoming performances. However:

  1. The club listings are repeatedly incorrect. Sometimes this band is listed under the wrong venue, at times this band isn't listed at all, and other times this band is listed at two venues on any one night. And more often than not, my name is misspelled.

  2. In an E-mail and fax dated April 4, 1998, to the Tucson Weekly regarding our Club Crawl performance at O'Malley's, I stated that Shockadelica would perform a one-hour showcase featuring originals from my CD, Neptune Amor. Yet Shockadelica was billed as finishing "out the evening with one dyn-o-mite party of '80s pop at midnight." (Tucson Weekly, April 16).

  3. The Tucson Weekly continues to diss our audience, referring to them as "ball-capped, team-spirited, and beer-soaked" (Musician's Register, March 1998). If Weeks were really in attendance at any of our shows, she would find a diverse audience; the demographics primarily consisting of women 21 to 40.

  4. Weeks has quoted out of context certain lines from our "Thank You" E-mail regarding our TAMMIES awards. The point made in our E-mail was that despite the lack of press from the very magazine that sponsors the TAMMIES, the band is very grateful for the two awards that we received and thrilled to be listed as runner-ups in six categories. Our "Thank You" E-mail was just that--expressing our thanks to an audience that continues to support us. We never intended to take away from the great musicians in this town who did receive, and rightfully deserve, their TAMMIES awards.
Unfortunately it took our April 23 E-mail in which Weeks' name is mentioned to get any press coverage for my band from the Tucson Weekly. The LeeAnne Savage & Shockadelica distribution list is how we reach our audience; just as your "Savage Love" story is how you reach yours.

Thank you for the coverage and for spelling my name correctly.

--LeeAnne Savage


To the Editor,

Regarding last week's Soundbites column: Too bad Tucson's "Musician of the Year" cannot accept her TAMMIES awards with grace and dignity. Bravo to Lisa Weeks for putting "Trite Spice" in her place!

--Name Withheld


Never Say Never

To the Editor,

Regarding Stacey Richter's "Say Never" (Tucson Weekly, April 30): I would like to remind all you kids out there that never is a very long time, and that Richter has provided us a very long list. Statistically speaking, I would venture to guess that there is at least a one-in-a-million chance of at least one of those things happening to each of us; and hey, people do win lotteries, right?

Myself for example: I personally have lusted after many women who did in fact harbor monsters, if not in their bodies, certainly in their minds and personalities; and furthermore, believe it or not, right here in our lovely town of Tucson I am approached at least once a week by beggars, many of whom by all indications stand a pretty good chance of being leprous. See what I mean? That's two already in my own short and, for the most part, misspent life.

And while it's true that I have seldom noticed an uncanny sense of justice to rule my doings, I have seemed to notice an uncanny sense of injustice to rule doings unto me, but then you could just say I'm kinda salty....

One thing of which I am certain, however, is that I'll never get the last word. Even now, when I most deserve it.

--Three-Car Joe

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