Who cares if blondes have more fun?
I watched the local news last night. I rarely do; now I know why. The WTVR-Channel 6 11 p.m. broadcast was the poorest excuse for a local newscast I have ever seen (news&features, May 8).
One would expect to be apprised of local activities, and pertinent information about community issues. Instead, I learned who won the show “Survivor.” I am appalled that news stations would cover a television show. Are there that many shallow people in Richmond? I would hope otherwise.
Perhaps the most morally and socially deplorable segment of the news was a story on the highly germane question: Do blondes have more fun? Covering such a ludicrous topic, even in a lighthearted manner, is unacceptable. This only perpetuates our culture’s obsession with a youthful and beautiful physical appearance, pandering to unhealthy societal notions. If such a subject is to be addressed, why not make it as objective and nonsexist as possible, and use women and men as subjects? Or is physical appearance more important for women? To what purposeful end does such a story lead us?
It’s preposterous, and Channel 6 should be ashamed.
Rhonda Houser
The problem is not with religion, but lack of conviction to live it
I started to read George Nixon’s commentary on paganism (Back Page, May 29), as I know little about modern paganism, but I was disappointed to find it another “my belief is so much more noble/holistic/truthful than your belief” thing.
The truth is, the last time pagans ruled the world (think ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians) the modern evils of war, cultural genocide, racism, sexism and slavery were very much present. Pagan societies also used up-to-date technology to wipe out any of their enemies with the same eagerness of our modern society.
The problem isn’t so much what religion one group of people follows; it’s more that so few of us have the courage to really live our religion. All religions honor the sanctity of the natural world, the energy and strength of the masculine and feminine, the ultimate dignity and worth of all living things, and the need for each of us to realize that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves.
I think if we did truly live our various faiths the only table we would come around would be the table of real family, to share joy, sorrow, or celebration.
Marie Martinelli
The new Night & Day
Congratulations on the new Night & Day arts and entertainment calendar. Once more we can have all the best cultural opportunities in our area listed by day and date.
Tom Yeaman
Homebytes article missed the point
As I sat down with my coffee on Cary Street with a freshly printed Style Weekly and began to read Kevin Finucane’s article on Homebytes (news&features, June 12), I was excited.
“Good,” I thought, “someone who was on the inside wrote an article on how important and special Homebytes was.”
Sadly though, as I read the article written by someone I considered a friend, I read the words of a person who appears to have missed the point of Homebytes, of business and perhaps … life.
Homebytes was an innovator, and a catalyst for change in the real estate industry. In Richmond, sure. In Virginia, sure. But try across the country. A company that was willing to fit right in to a traditional industry and fight with tooth and nail to do something very very different.
A real estate company with the leadership and vision that put customer service and value ahead of everything else. Imagine that.
If you’re running a company that’s tackling a tough problem, a tough audience, or perhaps an industry that doesn’t want you around because your product hits at the heart of the industry’s own insecurities — you need every piece of energy, passion, and smarts of your team to battle the inertia against you. You need everything you have to make it day to day when your customer says “I want your product” and your fellow Realtors say “I want you to fail.” It’s not an environment for everyone.
I should know all of this. I was the CEO of Owners.com referred to in the article.
There are always things in business and life that we would perhaps do differently if we had the opportunity to do so. But to focus on what minutia were wrong (or uncomfortable) is like dwelling on a curfew that your parents imposed when you were 13, as opposed to relishing in the fact that they probably sacrificed everything to raise you. It’s missing the point of some of the most positive experiences we’ll have in our lives.
It’s all how you look at it. Thank you Homebytes.
Hans Koch
Kevin Finucane responds: The article addresses an example of dot-com culture, not its people or “family.” In regard to Mr. Koch’s suggestion that I “missed the point about Homebytes and … life,” he is utterly correct.
Correction:
In the June 5 cover story on Coach James G. Holdren the name of Jeannie Addison was misspelled. Style regrets the error.
Clarification:
The June 12 cover story on WRIC-Channel 6 included wording that suggested that more people were fired by new General Manager Mark Pimentel than actually were. While he did fire a number of employees, others — including co-anchor Angela Miles — left on their own.
