Letters From OC Weekly Readers

‘Not Only Is This Story Poorly Balanced and Unprofessional, But It Is Also a Disservice to the Readers and to the Community’

Letters may be edited for clarity and length. E-mail to letters@ocweekly.com, or mail to Letters to the Editor, c/o OC Weekly, 2975 Red Hill Ave., Ste. 150, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Or fax to (714) 550-5908.

CRYING OVER SPILLED INK
Boring story [Daffodil J. Altan’s “Body of Work,” March 13]. Why does this newspaper constantly glorify gangbangers?

Frank Sanchez, Cypress, via ocweekly.com

YOU FORGOT POLAND!
In your answer to Cuban Pete [Gustavo Arellano’s ¡Ask a Mexican! March 13], you mention Chinese, African-Americans and Mexicans and . . . Polacks? Why not Chinks, Niggers and Spics? FYI: The correct reference is Poles. Thank you.

MaryEllen Vondrak, Chicago, via ocweekly.com

MIND YOUR OWN BEES
There are a number of problems with this story [Gustavo Arellano’s “Hive & Seek,” Feb. 27], beginning with an obvious bias not in keeping with the traditionally accepted standards of journalistic objectivity. Throughout the piece, Arellano’s use of dismissive language and misleading use of quotes have portrayed my business in a negative light. In fact, the language choices Arellano has made throughout this story would make the casual reader think I had personally insulted him.

For example, he quotes me as “dismiss[ing] the idea of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) as ‘nonsense,’” when in actuality I had explained to him some facts in detail, such as that due to CCD, beekeepers nationally have had an average winter loss of 36 percent as opposed to 16 percent prior to CCD. I may have used the word “nonsense” to characterize some people’s sensationalist misinterpretation that bees are endangered, but it would have been clear to Arellano that “nonsense” would not be an accurate characterization of what I believe about CCD. However, comments to the article online clearly show that that specific quote caused people to conclude I was grossly uninformed and arbitrarily opinionated. This is only one example among many of unprofessional bias in the article.

This approach was hardly necessary in a story about the bee savers. It is certainly possible to write a profile without introducing an element of antagonism into the piece—or, in the case where there is some conflict between the parties, without throwing the whole-hearted support of a publication behind one party.

Without getting into too much detail, I would like to point out that I know for an absolute fact that if Arellano had called Orange County Agricultural Commissioner Rick Le Feuvre (or his Riverside or San Diego equivalents), he would have gotten the same take on the issue that he ridicules me for having. Additionally, despite Arellano’s careful framing of the quotes, the two entomologists quoted in the article do say what I have been saying: It is unsafe to put feral bees in back yards.

It is discouraging to see a reporter so clearly biased in his writing. Not only is this story poorly balanced and unprofessional, but it is also a disservice to the readers and to the community. We need to know that the information in this paper is reliable and true—not twisted to suit the needs of a sensationalist “journalist.” Stories like this do real damage to small businesses like mine—businesses that contribute to the financial well-being of our community.

David Marder,Bee Busters Inc./Sundance Honey Farms, Laguna Beach

I think I may have found the reason for Colony Collapse Disorder among bees that you mentioned in your article. There was an article on the Internet by a Russian named Sorcha Faal, who stated that the Boyer Bio Weapon facility in the U.S. makes the pesticide Larvin, “which many Russian scientists state is responsible for the catastrophic loss of bees and other plant pollinators, in the United States’ attempt to cripple our world’s food supply in order to foist upon humanity their genetically modified foods to cause mass deaths and pacify humans through the direct changing of our DNA.”

Also, according to the article, there was a massive explosion there in August 2008, so I assume this place is no longer there. It was located in West Virginia and “was owned (since 1925) by the Nazi German chemical-and-weapons firm IG Farben, but was also controlled by the Bush family’s war-profiteering company, the Carlyle Group.”

Brenda Bradac, Costa Mesa, via mail

SINGING PRAISES
The New Limb are seriously amazing live [Albert Ching’s Locals Only, “Out On a Limb,” Feb. 20]. A true gem of a band. I can’t stop listening to their EP, especially the track called “Breathe Tenderly.” This article is serious proof that good songwriting is not dead.

Matt, Whittier, via ocweekly.com

Thank you for writing a great article about Everest in OC Weekly [Vickie Chang’s “Everest See the Mountaintop,” Feb. 20] . Our son, Joel, is a member of the band, and he grew up in Fountain Valley.

Mr. & Mrs. Graves, Fountain Valley, via e-mail

CORRECTION
A calendar pick about David Archuleta (Calendar, March 13) stated that Carrie Underwood had won two Grammys. She actually has won four. The Weekly regrets the error.