Oz fest
Thank you for your detailed review of the presentation by Robert Kory to the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce (“Kory Goes Public as Oz Faces Increased Opposition,” April 6-12). It is the only published report I have seen that gave a factual account of his story. Your observations and analyses of the Land of Oz project were right on!
Not only do I look forward to Patrick Dobson’s well-researched and -written articles in PitchWeekly but also his cogent observations on Kansas City Week in Review on KCPT Channel 19.
Keep up the good work! — George Arneson
Overland Park, Kan.
Why is Patrick Dobson so one-sided in his arguments toward Oz? It is horrific that the Pitch is allowing reporting to become saturated with opinion. It makes me sick to see someone with the power of the press abuse his/her right over the minds of the youth. This also brings up another sick “Midwest” mentality that I see fueled every day, where people from the Midwest feel inferior to the “big-city antics” of Los Angeles and New York.
Please, PitchWeekly, think more about your methods of reporting on new investments and technologies. The outcome of the Oz project is real. They have incredible technologies in the works that will redefine KC technology upon entry into the marketplace. As a community we must erase the local-store mentality that is pervasive in arguments against “outsiders.” We live in a new time that is not based upon which coast you live on or Joe, Bob, or Frank sitting on the porch saying, “You don’t look like you’re from around here.” If Kansas Citians truly want to be respected in the cultural and business sectors, then please open your minds to new innovations and emerging opportunities. — Jon Phillips
Kansas City, Mo.
I can’t see clearly now …
Thank you, Mr. Green, for speaking up for those of us with low vision (Mail, March 30-April 5). I too am a longtime reader of the Pitch, and I am increasingly frustrated with the current format of the paper. Given that the Pitch‘s online classifieds are now offline, I have no way to access that section of the paper at all.
Please return the format of the classifieds to the way it was: readable. I am sure you will make more money when your advertisements are once again printed in a reasonable typeface. As it is, I fear you stand to lose the custom of disgruntled readers and even of advertisers. I don’t want to see the Pitch go the way of the Kansas City New Times. We need one even-keeled alternative voice in Kansas City! — Patricia Sclater
Kansas City, Mo.
Editor’s note: The Pitch classifieds section is now back online. Check out our reformatted Web site at www.pitch.com.
Rage against the puppy machine
I am writing in regards to the “Disposable Pets” article in the March 2-8 issue. Many thanks to Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell for tackling this serious issue with honesty and compassion. The overpopulation of neglected and abandoned companion animals is epidemic.
Since we are in the “puppy basket” here in the Midwest, our challenges in rescue are multiplied. Raising companion animals as one might raise livestock, and selling them for profit with no concern for their future welfare, is unethical.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture encouraged Midwestern farmers to set up pet farms after the second World War to help them recover from the postwar dip in farm income. The USDA continues to profit from fees assessed for licenses to farm companion animals.
Meanwhile, animals are bred with no concern for health problems and inbred genetic defects that create tragedies within the loving homes some of these animals eventually find. Those that do not wind up in loving homes are sold to laboratories for “research,” used to “train” dogs for pit fighting, used for fighting themselves, are in neglectful situations, or worse.
Millions of dogs and cats are killed every single year because they are inconvenient! Spaying and neutering pets is vital, but the problem needs to be dealt with at the source as well. Puppy farming and pet retailing in stores has created a black eye on our national persona. It is time to rectify this horror for good and all. Thank you for highlighting this important issue. — Randall Long
Akita Adoption and Rescue of Mid America
Williamsburg, Kan.
CORRECTION:
In our review of Over the River and Through the Woods (“The Golden Girls with a dash of The Sopranos,” April 6-12), we spelled Shane Rowse’s name incorrectly. We apologize for the error.
