What Else Are They Hiding?

Thank you for the clear and concise report about the spraying of Roundup by S.J. Water Co. in the Santa Cruz Mountain watershed ("A Leg Up on Loggers," MetroNews, Dec. 6).

This is a company that sends out nine pages of Q and A when asked why they are considering jeopardizing this watershed with a commercial logging operation.

Here's a quote in response to one question, "Won't logging affect endangered species?" SJWC: "The plan area has been inspected and surveyed by a consulting wildlife biologist as well as a consulting botanist. They have provided recommendations for the protection of a wide variety of plants and animals and their reports and recommendations are incorporated into the NTMP."

They fail to acknowledge their prior use of a pesticide that is so damaging to the environment, specifically the red-legged frog. I wonder what else they have failed to acknowledge?

C. Lee McKenzie, Los Gatos

NAILed It!

Re NAIL vs. San Jose Water: A very good article about the endless corporate greed that threatens our water, environment, and quality of life. Big Creek, like all other loggers, are very paranoid about any limitations, however reasonable, put on their freedom to cut anywhere they desire. Along with the fact that the "watchdogs" of California timber operations are the desperately pro-logging Department of Forestry (no logging permits = no DOF jobs), it is very heartening to see organized groups of citizens like NAIL fight these base profiteers like San Jose Water tooth and NAIL. There is a lot more to this story than has surfaced; keep up the digging!

Ted Gehrke, Los Gatos

M*A*S*H Note

Your remembrance of Robert Altman ("Remembering Altman," Film, Nov. 15, Metroactive.com) felt like a script from an Altman film, and that was truly consoling. Thank you for the shivering, clear Bazin analogy. I know that the French have a special love for Altman. In Paris I saw his film I like best, which is Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. It feels like all we have to do is come in out of the silent heat, slide into our booth, and stare into the mirrored wall. He's right behind there ...

Meg Dulaney, San Pedro

Get Your Shame On

Re "Hall of Shame Gift Guide" (Cover Story, Nov. 29): This article is too true. Although the city government of San Jose does not bear the sole responsibility for the debacle of the Earthquakes' sale down the river to Houston, the total lack of support or concern and the resultant inertia were certainly key factors. Only at 11:59 in the saga of the Earthquakes did the Gonzales regime shake off its inertia, with a hastily assembled, totally unrealistic proposal that was much too late for serious consideration. Hopefully, having lost something wonderful, the city has been sufficiently chastened and will work with Lew Wolff to help undo some of the damage that has been done. We can only hope this is the case.

Bob Sherman, Santa Clara

Thank You For the Days

Jade of Days and I would love to thank Ryan Osterbeck for his wonderful review of the band and their music in Silicon Valley Metro (Music Box, Nov. 15). We really appreciate what he wrote and are happy that he loved our music that much. No one has ever described our music and talent so eloquently and it meant so much to all of us!

Please let him know how much what he wrote meant to the band, and to me, their manager.

Barbara Wahli, San Jose

Not Out Standing In His Field

Re "Harry Smith's folkloric field recordings" (Gift Guide, Nov. 29): Although Harry Smith did make recordings in the field, he was not a John A. or Alan Lomax, who both made many field recordings for the Library of Congress.

The recordings Smith compiled for his landmark 1952 "Anthology of American Folk Music" on Folkways Records were commercially issued 78 rpm records of late 1920s and early '30s, and were not recorded by Smith.

Harris Wray, Washington, D.C.

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