Love the writing: In general I do not enjoy journalistic writing, most of which, in my mind, is proof that tired old thinking is available to anyone at anytime. But your article on Steve Asmussen is different; it's well-composed, insightful and thoroughly memorable ("Dark Horse," by Jesse Hyde, June 28). I say this not only as a devotee of Thoroughbred racing but also as a fan of quality reading.
Your descriptions—"smooth olive skin, gray hair as soft and fluffy as pigeon feathers"; "his mother...with legs like toothpicks and arms as thin as pencils"—are effective and compelling. And it was smart of you to cite Gary West and Jenine Sahadi, to provide facts and numbers about drug use in horse racing and to add details about Asmussen's personal life. Ethos, logos and pathos—you have certainly learned how to craft a well-rounded persuasive appeal. Plus, the title "Dark Horse" is perfect. I could make additional nice comments about the piece, but the point is: I like the article very much; it's a fine example of feature writing.
Sincerest regards, and thanks again for the pleasurable reading!
Deborah Reese
The view from north of the border: Jesse Hyde's article about Steve Asmussen was a first-rate piece of journalism. I thoroughly enjoyed it half a continent north of Dallas.
Peter Behr
London, Ontario
Golden Doorstop
Punch in the gut: I applaud the Dallas Observer, Jesse Hyde and Matt Pulle on an excellent story on the Katie Awards and Ms. Elizabeth Albanese ("Kiss Me, Katie," June 14).
I won my second Katie last year and was proud of it, but it felt like a punch in the gut when I found out that the judges never existed. What a letdown.
I've never met Ms. Albanese, but this experience has taught me a lot. I was shocked to learn that even though the finance officer told board members there were problems, some still couldn't believe it. I sure hope they're still not on the board.
Keep up the good work, and if you ever need a golden doorstop...you can have mine. Ha!
Rebecca Aguilar
Fox 4 News
Dallas
One More Kick for Oakley
Mayoral mockery: Jim, your article proves one thing and one thing only...City Hall doesn't care about this ("Oakley-dokey," by Jim Schutze, June 28). Even with that, yes, you are beating a dead horse. It doesn't matter that Oakley won or lost, it's still a dead horse either way.
Your focus should be on your new man in office. Now we've got this brand-new, shiny car supposedly with all the bells and whistles. Yet we have no freaking clue if there's even an engine to run the thing. You know what I'm talking about...the whole vision without a plan of action to get there. What a concept! I could have hired an actor to run that campaign. Do we really believe that's what won the election?
In some cases elections are no more than a mockery. The 2007 Dallas mayoral election was a joke. Unfortunately, I fear the joke may be on Dallas.
Jim K.
Angry About A-Town
Pathetic excuse for a city: If Hicks really wants Dallasites to go to Rangers games ("Rangers Redux," by Richie Whitt, June 28), there needs to be a public transportation option from the city of Dallas. Since Arlington doesn't have ANY public transportation or means of getting me to go to their pathetic excuse for a city (which has now stolen the Cowboys from us), I don't go to games. There needs to be some buses from maybe the closest TRE stop to the ballpark; then I would go on a very regular basis. But as long as I have to drive 45 minutes to that place (note I do not refer to Arlington as a real CITY; it's a place that has stolen teams it doesn't have the infrastructure to handle) I will not go.
DK
Fly Girls
Ladies of the polyester vest: Thanks for the fun article about the DFW Ambassadors ("Foreign Relations," by Andrea Grimes, June 21). I'm one of the younger Ambassadors. I'm nowhere close to retirement, so I work at DFW in the evening. And since I'm not into dating men who are my dad's age, the Ambassador dating scene isn't for me. Yes, I wear the green polyester vest, but I haven't worn the hat since I started volunteering more than five years ago. Shhh, don't tell...
The people-watching at DFW is second to none. The TLC show What Not to Wear should do a show from an airport, because there are all sorts of people who would qualify for a fashion makeover. Of course, there are some snazzy dressers too who are probably the same people who dress nicely to go to the mall. Still, I would recommend the gig to anyone who likes the people-watching and likes to make traveling a less stressful experience, especially for the non-road warriors of the world.
Beth
Via dallasobserver.com
Correction
In last week's cover story, "Dark Horse," the Dallas Observer incorrectly reported that a horse named Private Dancer won the Kentucky Derby in 1968 on the drug Lasix. The 1968 Derby winner was actually Dancer's Image, who was disqualified after traces of phenylbutazone, a painkiller, were found in the horse's system.
