Letters

The picture painted in the story was ugly. Rascal House and Wolfie's both offer patrons rolls to take home because they are not supposed to be served again. Early bird diners can be gracious. They do not steal rolls!

Gertrude R. Miller
Miami Beach

Harvey Seeks Free Meals at Wolfie's
Don't faint, folks. This is a positive letter about a good friend, community giant, and successful restaurateur, Joe Nevel. New Times's Robert Andrew Powell caught the essence of the man in his piece about the "state bird" of Florida, the early bird. While others gouge the public, Mr. Nevel's efforts to keep prices low for his few hundred early bird diners, many of whom are on fixed incomes, deserve praise.

I remember Wolfie's as a youngster growing up on Miami Beach. A myth about the place had already been born. Joe Nevel has kept up that myth by delivering good food at fair prices to locals and tourists alike. If New Times wanted to write about the many charities Joe Nevel supports and the hundreds of people he has personally helped, they'd need another four pages of space in a future edition to do so.

Harvey Slavin
Hollywood

Shark Rodeo: A Bunch of Bull
Recently New Times ran an article about a pompous ass by the name of Ron McManmon ("Shark Bait," April 18). Along with inflating the ego of one of South Florida's biggest legends in his own mind, Sean Rowe was able to successfully deliver the message of shark riding for sport. Unfortunately, there will be some innocent tourists out there who may in fact believe this actually goes on, and they will harass our local shark population.

The species most common to South Florida waters is the extremely docile nurse shark. This shark, along with other local species, is finally making a comeback after near extinction. The demand for shark fins is so high in Japan, for example, that the species was almost depleted. Do we really need this now?

I won't even get into the hero of the story. Sean Rowe should have asked anyone within the industry about this character. If anyone checks McManmon's credentials, you'll find he isn't even a scuba instructor. He is nothing but a phony.

Cindy Courtee
Miami

Shark Rodeo: Bad-Boy Buddhist Gets Bit Badly
I wonder at a Westernized Buddhist who cries out for attention, seeking a popular culture's approval and the immediate gratification of fame and fortune. What niche does this ego assume in the Buddhist context of contemplation, harmony, and the simplistic beauty of a balanced life?

I wonder at a Buddhist who calls himself an "environmentalist" and is prepared to kill sharks, animals already dangerously threatened by mounting human pressures. And for what? Why? Because he himself, the "Buddhist environmentalist," is exploiting the animal for profit and fame A and in that process the wild animal, seeking only to defend itself, might bite? Does this animal therefore deserve to be destroyed?

I wonder at a Buddhist who forces propeller wash upon delicate coral gardens and sea-grass beds, lusting after the dead treasure of the past, forsaking the living treasures of our future. I wonder about this Buddhist, Ron McManmon.

Edward Barns
Miami

Shark Rodeo: What a Hoot!
I just read Sean Rowe's interesting and amusing story on the life and times of Ron McManmon. Sounds like quite a guy. A few of my friends are so-called dive extremists. A couple are dead from it. It used to be interesting. About twenty years ago, before divers were able to benefit from the information provided by true diving pioneers, these antics were newsworthy. Very few technical divers consciously want to die underwater, including free divers. Anyway, not to preach. To each his own.

But honestly, the shark rodeo is a real hoot! Are all the Hollywood money men and the networks lining up? Nobody is going to ride a healthy hammerhead or a large bull shark. It's not going to happen! Makes good copy, though. What will happen is that Mr. McManmon and possibly some of his friends will have large bites taken out of them. But it might make a good fifteen seconds on America's Funniest Home Videos.

A shark rodeo! Other dive-boat captains and I are howling! Yippee-tye-yayyyyyyyy! I really love living in Miami.

Gary Hughes
Miami

Shark Rodeo: Wild Man Ups the Ante
If Mitch Skaggs ("Letters," April 25) read Sean Rowe's article correctly, which I'm sure he did, he would know that it clearly said I have never speared a 300-pound tuna. It seems that he is opening his big mouth without knowing what he is talking about. Funny, this doesn't surprise me. Insinuations made from ignorance is my definition of stupidity, so either Mitch Skaggs is illiterate or he did not understand the article.

As far as his little challenge [a $100 bill suspended 100 feet below the surface awaiting retrieval in an unassisted breath-hold dive], I thought he might want to put his money where his mouth is and make it $1000, which I will donate to one of the kids' foundations here in Miami.

The only other contingency to the deal is this: After he hands me the $1000 at 100 feet, I will bend over and let him kiss my ass, which will not only be photographed but videotaped by one of my professional cameramen.

In the future, before Mitch randomly makes accusations, I think he should do his homework. Sean Rowe did.

Mitchell, don't wimp out.
Ron McManmon
Performance Water Sports
South Beach

In Praise of Cousin Brucie
Bruce Matheson was totally, abysmally wrong in opposing the Lipton tennis stadium, but he is right about Crandon Park ("His Own Private Paradise," April 4). Look at the issues: He wants to preserve Bear Cut as a mangrove preserve. He wants to tear down those eyesore cages in Crandon Gardens and restore a petting zoo. He wants to block a Crandon Boulevard overpass, which was a bad idea for the Lipton tournament and is still a bad idea. He wants to constrain Sundays on the Bay, and what could be less parklike than a bar?

We Key Biscayners disagree with Cousin Brucie in his efforts to destroy Calusa Park and the Calusa Playhouse, but he is right about the rest of Crandon Park.

Paul DeLeeuw, M.D.
Key Biscayne