Head Check

Re "Losing Their Heads" (Cover Story, May 10): Good article, but there is another perspective (the farmers') that we never seem to hear. These are not corporate farms, but families like those of the fishermen. To learn more, go to www.klamathbasincrisis.org. Sure, it's a biased viewpoint, but there is a lot of useful information for an understanding of the whole situation. Hopefully a solution will be found where everyone wins.

Dan Greenback, San Jose

Minstrel Show

I enjoyed your musical cover story on "The Producers" (May 3). But the name of the band New Christy Minstrels was misspelled on page 32. They were not the "New Christie Minstrels." The only official alternate spelling of the band's name was on the first picture sleeve pressings of their first single, their version of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land," in 1962. It listed them as "New Cristy Minstrels." Their name still ended like the unborn-at-the-time Christy Turlington, not like the 8-year-old-at-the-time Christie Brinkley.

Also, I noticed that DJ Ready Red misspoke in the quote on page 25.

He said the opposite of what he meant. He said, "I should have taken care of business better, otherwise I wouldn't be working the rest of my life." He should have said, "I should have taken care of business better, so I wouldn't be working the rest of my life."

Have a nice working day.

Bob Davis, Los Altos

Bob, your Turlington/Brinkley analogy proved to be just the breakthrough we needed on this issue. But for chrissakes, would you bring back our 1962 NCM picture-sleeve single? After eight months, it's not 'borrowing' anymore.—Editor

CDCR a Disgrace

I know I don't live in California and because of that, you may not be interested in what I have to say.

I read the article about Hepatitis C being in the California prisons and the denial of treatment to the prisoners ("The Real Hep C Crisis." MetroNews, May 24). How does the California Dept. of Corrections get away with this? What a disgrace! When someone is incarcerated, they become the responsibility of the DOC. To deny someone life-saving treatment is unconscionable. When an inmate dies because they were not treated for their illness, the DOC should be held accountable.

It amazes me that John Q. Public has to pay for his mistakes, but our illustrious lawmakers, government workers do not. Humans are supposed to be the most intelligent of the species on this planet, yet we are the most unkind of the species. Man's inhumanity to man ...

Leslie Taugher, Madison, Wis.

Leslie, here at Metro Letters do not discriminate, at least not against the fine folks of Madison, Wis. Now those jerks up the road from you in Waunakee, that's a different story. If what they have to say is so damn important, they can tell it to their precious Waunakee Tribune!—Editor

San Jose Must Own Up to Nooks, Crannies

Re "24th Street Rocks" (Silicon Alleys, May 17): Actually, I pedal down Santa Clara Street often and find the area interesting. I always say San Jose has more nooks and crannies than it would care to admit (at least by our elected officials). I enjoyed your article.

Sherri Adams, San Jose

Also Had Liver Rocked

Loved the latest Silicon Alleys column ("Do Stop Believin'," Silicon Alleys, May 3). The VA Rocks Your Liver album holds a place dear in my heart, and since I was too stupid to steal a copy from KFJC, Streetlight or Tower, I'm totally psyched to hear it's being rereleased.

I was probably at multiple shows you mentioned—The Stagecoach for sure, also a couple times at The Farm in SF, once at some little dive on Guerrero. I'll never forget the tennis ball serving machine they had rigged to fire cans of Bud into the crowd. And I used to play the shit out of that record (as well as the Just an American Band LP) on KFJC.

I nearly puked when I read that SF Chron article last week. I'm not sure if being totally hung over and reading that article at 6am had something to do with my reaction. Then again, I probably would have had a greater psychotic reaction if I had been sober, awake and had the energy. Escape came out my senior year in high school, so I heard it WAY, WAY too much ... more than albums I actually owned. To this day, "Open Arms" makes me want to fight.

Fuck AEG and the Houston Dynamo. Cheers.

Robert McMullen (a.k.a. Robbin Graves a.k.a. Blue Meanie), San Jose

Keeping Niles Alive

Re John Jacob Niles ("Tragic Legends," Music column, Jan. 18): Wonderful story by Gabe Meline. I had not heard of Niles, but now I will follow up more exploring about this artist because of this article. Thanks for keeping music alive, up close and personal.

John Meares, Concord, N.C.

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