From the week of June 11, 2009

"Catch Them If You Can," Joel Warner, June 4

I wasn't able to read the parkour article, because those no-talent assholes make me sick to my stomach. If these frenchies deserve an article and cover, so do the toddlers with wheels in their shoes. Get a skateboard — better yet, rollerblades.

Ben Fischer

Denver

"Naked Truth," Melanie Asmar, May 28

Kudos to Westword and Melanie Asmar for the article on the heinous crime against Angie Zapata. If only the rest of the media here saw fit to invest that much effort in this story. Personally, I would have rather seen Mr. Andrade sentenced to death plus sixty years — but I'm satisfied that he will live the rest of his miserable life in an orange jumpsuit.

Tom Lavelle

Thornton                                                                                            

I'm post-op for almost twenty years now, and I can't believe this stuff still goes on in the 21st century. Considering I went through transition in Houston, I consider myself lucky that Angie's fate didn't befall me. Texas is very unforgiving of pre-ops.

Angie was a beautiful butterfly. The world is sadder without her. I will remember you!

Danelle Dragonetti

Denver

"Magic Potion," Jared Jacang Maher, May 21

I thought Jared Jacang Maher's Bazi article was for the most part fair; however, he seemed to put a little too much emphasis on why it won't work as opposed to why it can work. Most people aren't that successful in "traditional" business, either. Social Security numbers always tell us that only 2 percent of the population is financially independent. Hey, we're not a bunch of naïve folks who think that just because you get four people in and help them get their four that you're going to be rich. Most of us know it takes two to five years of hard work and effort to see significant money, or maybe just a couple thousand extra a month. But who else offers that opportunity part-time?

How many articles has Jared written about the Social Security Ponzi scheme or Medicare or Medicaid or universal health-care "pyramid schemes"? Seems to me that the vast majority of the folks at our meetings have a more positive attitude about life than the rest of the world does.

And one last bit of criticism: The jujube fruit has been written about for 4,000 years in China.

Gary White

Windsor

There's plenty of grist for both versions of the story: Are these scams for the vulnerable, or great opportunities for the enterprising individual who really works at it? Jared told them both well. Who hasn't been at least titillated at the thought of quitting their jobs and making a mint being their own boss?

I notice the work involved is one of the things often undersold in these schemes. No doubt it's possible to make good money here, but even the most foolproof models require the will to work them. For me, when the work involves aggressive selling to the sellers, that can be a red flag. I once went with a friend to an Equinox meeting back in the '90s, and the proceedings had a cult-like focus on recruiting, recruiting, recruiting. I took a pass.

Nate Warren

Boulder

"Ask a Mexican," Gustavo Arellano

The "Ask a Mexican" columns have dwindled to boilerplate responses that are devoid of wit or even remotely interesting remarks. I hope he charges the wage of an illegal, or Westword is getting raped. Wouldn't it be cheaper to employ 10,000 monkeys and their respective typewriters? I'm just sayin'...

Eric Wilks

Centennial