LETTERS

Richard Abowitz,

I don't normally take up pen and paper or, in this time and age, two-finger hunt and peck to voice my opinion on something I read or was told. However, I felt driven to let you know my opinion on your recent article about the Chicken Ranch brothel (June 23 edition).

I must admit that I figured it to be a "guess-what-I-got-to-do-and-you-didn't" rant from some halfhearted rag slave who needed a cheap, thrown-together story to keep his boss off his ass. What a surprise. It actually had heart in it. Your voice of the ladies was shared well from my standpoint. You made them human in a world that views them as less than someone who flips burgers at Mickey D's after age 30. My hat is off to you, sir.

The job that the girls at any brothel here in this fine state do is a service to the community that they work in. It does provide serious taxable income and a necessary service for those of us in need. Fine job. I look forward to you next article. Do us all a favor and put as much effort into the next one so that us blue-collar types can enjoy a good story and escape for a little while.

Rock on, brother,

Richard Abowitz,

Enjoyed your article on the Chicken Ranch and the girls-women in the business. I'm always somewhat fascinated to get to read the inside stories of the women who engage in the legal brothel trade. It's not something one thinks about on a daily basis to be sure, but can certainly make for interesting and sometimes thought-provoking reading.

I have read the book Madam by Lora Shaner, who was a madam at Sheri's Ranch some time back, and the more detailed (by virtue of being a full-length book) personal stories of different women are certainly along the same lines as the women you interviewed. A wide variety of backgrounds and stories, many with more than a tinge of sadness to them, while there again are Eden and Aspen, who seem to be well in control of their lives.

I particularly enjoyed your thoughts about Aspen and being back in the college-dorm days, hanging out in a friend's room. Must admit to a bit of envy of the position (so to speak) that you were in to get the story of her Chicken Ranch life, not to mention the chance to get to know the real Aspen.

I can't quite say why this kind of article so interests me. I have never partaken of any form of prostitution and it's most unlikely that I will ever visit the Pahrump brothels, yet this type of character study really captivates me. Perhaps it's the "naughtiness" of it all.

My thanks and kudos on a great read!

Dear Las Vegas Weekly,

T.R. Witcher's article on asbestos removal at the Las Vegas Hilton (June 16 edition) omitted some pertinent facts and clarifications that I provided to him in two separate phone interviews:

• The Carpenters Union complaint is with the contractor, not with the Las Vegas Hilton.

• The subcontractor doing the work is a licensed and certified asbestos abatement contractor.

• The Hazardous Waste Division of the Clark County Fire Department (the unit that specializes in the handling of this type of material) has twice inspected the remodeling site and approved the process.

• The asbestos being removed is part of the ceiling texture of old rooms and, hence, immeasurable. Once the abatement process is completed in each room, an industrial hygienist (that's the technical term) from Forensic Analytical (a separate and independent company) comes in to take air samples and, after laboratory analysis, gives approval to continue the construction work. Their role is to protect the construction workers.

Had these facts been included in the article, I believe your readers would have a clearer picture of this "safety" issue.

Dear Las Vegas Weekly:

Trent Othick of Insomnia Entertainment makes some valid points in his letter to Josh Bell (June 23 edition). But I'd hope that a movie studio exec would have better things to do than respond to every negative review that comes down the pike. Shouldn't he be out making movies or something? I think developing a thicker skin should be number one on his to-do list.

Dear Las Vegas Weekly;

So Ernest Hemmings and his avant-garde theater are having problems (June 16 edition)? Well I know why—because Ernest Hemmings IS AN ASSHOLE. He can't get actors to stay through the production—because as a director, HE IS AN ASSHOLE.

I know from personal experience—he conned me into giving him my e-mailing list, then as soon as he had it in his grubby little hands, he turned into The Director From Hell. So he has to do one-man shows now and no one shows up? Well boo-hoo ... maybe he should open up a porno shop where he and his girlfriend can do their so-called "Theater" productions; that's about the level of his "avant-garde."

The real question is, why should anyone, especially your newspaper, care? Oh, that's right—Las Vegas Weekly can relate to sleazy sex promotions because you get all of your advertising from sex ads, escort sex ads, strip-club ads, "Bikini" bar ads and topless casino-show ads; not to mention the half- naked sluts you put on your cover every other week.

Sincerely,