[Re: Feature, “Theatrical Mixer,” July 17-23] Amy Dalness has written a good starter to Albuquerque Theater. We attend a lot, as much as we can.Our main theater is Fusion, but we have attended Adobe, Desert Rose, Mother Road and UNM. We should go to Tricklock and Vortex.While we are on the e-mail lists of Adobe and Fusion, few other theaters maintain e-mail notices. Chamber Music Albuquerque does and it makes sense.Given the cost of mailings and even websites, e-mail broadcasts are a very cheap way to notify patrons of new plays.That, to me, is the answer to getting bodies in seats.
Letters The Wheels On The Trolley ...
[Re: The Real Side, “Trolley Roundabout,” July 17-23] Thank you so much for the very informative (and alarming) article by Mr. Jim Scarantino regarding the trolley fetish consuming the City Council and the mayor. I can only conclude that there is a veritable fortune in kickbacks for both to be deposited in some Cayman Islands account. This is because of all the reasons cited by Mr. Scarantino, and, of course, the idiocy of undertaking such a project when the economy is so bleak and so many are worried about paying for their PNM bill, gasoline, food and the taxes that continue to rise in spite of falling property values. Thank you! I am glad some have the guts and the inclination to speak up for the down-trodden taxpayers of Albuquerque.
Letters Railing
[Re: The Real Side, “Trolley Roundabout,” July 17-23] A remarkable combination of good sense and misinformation. Concerning the latter, there are important differences between rail-anchored and bus-anchored transit:Rail vehicles last several times as long as buses. Rail transit uses a small fraction of the fuel or energy required by bus service (besides the vehicles’ difference in fuel consumption, streets are themselves made in part out of petroleum products). Rails last a lot longer than streets and require much less maintenance. Rail promotes biking and walking. Rail also promotes "sustainable" development wherever you put it. Rail is a perfect fit with both renewable energy and the establishment of widespread neighborhood transit. And people of all income levels like trains.We need all modes in the mix, especially rail—in all its modern forms.
Letters Right Side Of The Tracks
[Re: Newscity, “BMX Vexes,” July 17-23] Roibal says, “They figured we wouldn’t complain because we’re a bunch of working-class families that wouldn’t raise a fuss." Who is the "they" and "the city" Roibal mentions? Is it the same "they" and "the city" that provides food, housing, shelter, medicine, doctors, mass-transit and legal aid to the "poor" poor at no or reduced fees? I can’t imagine where our civilization is headed when poor people are treated so inhumanely. The article doesn’t mention what damages the suit seeks against "they" and "the city." It wouldn’t happen to be money, would it?Also, Re: “Trolley Roundabout” [The Real Side, July 17-23]. I’m glad to see Scarantino finally wound up on the right side of the tracks.
Letters Across The Street
[Re: Newscity, “BMX Vexes,” July 17-23] I like urban living and have spent a lot of time in one of those houses over the years. The distant roar of the Isotopes really wasn’t that bad. But the BMX stadium opening is literally under 200 feet from the houses. There’s no nice wall to create a buffer. It’s loud and dusty. No city that truly cared about residents would have done that. Think about the arena that is being considered Downtown. The city councilors have already assured everyone that there will be a buffer between that arena and the neighborhood across Broadway. Why? Because everyone is watching. In the case of this BMX stadium, no one was paying attention to the fact that a stadium was built that wasn’t anything like the plans approved by the Environmental Planning Commission, which were approved with a pretty good buffer intact. That’s why the term "bait and switch" is a good one. It appears the city isn’t going to put a wall or landscape on that end of the stadium to make it better, so they’ve hurt those property values. The BMX rep quoted in this story can claim they’re good neighbors all she wants, but that doesn’t change the physical reality of that site. And she wouldn’t live across the street.
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