Give long-suffering UK football fans respect we deserve

My husband and I have been University of Kentucky football season ticket holders for six years now. Each and every paycheck we set aside $20 so we can afford our season tickets when they go on sale.

We only have $10 per game to spend and most of the time it's on the two bottles of water we need after hiking two miles to the stadium and climbing 135 stairs to our seats.

We come early to ensure a free parking spot, and stay late to see every second of what we consider our only vacation time.

We have shared player Randall Cobb's disappointment, pain and tears. But we also never give up hope, because there is nothing like sitting with 70,000 other fans and basking in the glow of a true victory.

These are the fans Cobb needs to address. So give us some love.

Amanda Wooldridge

Lexington

Team nickname?

Watching this year's Kentucky football team reminds me of riding a roller coaster.

How about that name for this year's team? Wheee! Go Big Blue.

Bernie Rosenthal

Lexington

Slanted reporting

The Herald-Leader's unfairness toward U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul is beyond description. In the Oct. 17 paper, staff writer Jack Brammer makes a supposed news article out of Democratic nominee Jack Conway's latest TV ad.

The ad attacks Paul for involvement in a college prank and questions the validity of Paul's Christian faith.

Brammer is quite effective in giving readers nearly the entire content of the ad, with all of the details of the prank that surfaced in GQ magazine in August and which was followed by an article in The Washington Post. In the Post, the woman involved in the prank says the whole thing has been "blown out of proportion."

Then comes the next day's Herald-Leader. What's on the front page? Why, it's another Brammer article, "Paul blasts Conway attack ad." In this article, with photos, reporting on the Paul-Conway debate the night before in which Paul challenged Conway about the campaign's gutter tactics, Brammer once again parades all the details about the college prank. He again cites GQ and the Post, and tosses in additional material from Politico.com. And as I turned the page to finish the article, I discovered Brammer again cites the prank specifics. This is terribly unfair journalism.

For Conway to attack Paul's faith based on a college prank is shameful and appears to be an act of desperation. For the Herald-Leader to give all this prominence is deeply disappointing. It makes the paper look like a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Conway campaign.

James V. Heidinger II

Nicholasville

Uplifting mine rescue

While watching the television coverage of the Chilean miners rescue, I couldn't help but think what a wonderful display of ingenuity, hope, courage, compassion and triumph of the human spirit. People from all countries and backgrounds working together to help other people.

I also thought, what a breath of fresh air, not only for the miners but for us. Just to witness, if only for several hours, what is good, decent and right in the world before once again being subjected to the endless barrage of what is bad, indecent, and wrong in the world (negative campaign ads).

The great news is that the miners have been rescued. The bad news for us is that the political campaign has a few more days to go.

Raymond Blythe

FrankfortNow, on to mine safety

Like everyone else on the planet, my family was awestruck as the 33 miners in Chile emerged. Cheers to the rescuers.

When the miners begin to speak about mine safety and the criminal carelessness that trapped them in the first place, I hope the media will give them a copious platform. The Herald-Leader should launch a major series on the health and safety of miners.

Margaret Ricketts

Berea

Snarky movie review

It is truly difficult to describe how repugnant and insulting Rich Copley's review of the new movie Secretariat actually is.

If he finds the real-life story of Penny Chenery manipulative, cheesy and implausible, then I feel sorry for him.

If he found the "sweet scenes" nauseating, heaven help him. If he did not feel and recognize the majesty of the movie, he might need to make an appointment with his doctor. He may be suffering from a serious central nervous system disorder.

If he actually believes that this movie made Big Red seem smaller, that reveals clearly to me that he is in the wrong business.

I suggest Copley write political ads. He has all the right stuff to be a smashing success — copious reserves of negativism, half truths and falsity.

Craig Carter

Lexington

'Big Lex' logo works

I don't know who created the classy big royal blue image of "Big Lex" from one of Edward Troye's historical paintings of the horse, Lexington, but David Lord of the Lexington Visitors and Convention Bureau is brilliant for adopting it.

It really stands out from other symbols, yet it carries a forceful image of the classical racehorse in repose. There could not be a better symbol of our historical city's relation to the horse industry. It truly makes us unforgettably the "Horse Capital of the World."

I just wish they could sell the flags hanging outside the building for us to hang in our own yards. More Big Lex merchandise, please.

It correlates to our town, unlike the modern, abstract, jarring images now on some storm sewers. I would love to see the image on the city's billboards, garbage trucks, stationery, traffic signs and even the storm sewers. It would not cost much to have stencils made in various sizes to spray in the blue horse.

Congrats for a super idea and an outstanding job of presenting Lexington to visitors just in time for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Barbara Curtin

Lexington

Don't blame teachers

This is so very typical within our government. They are always looking at teachers as the ones who are failing.

Granted, there may be some teachers in the school system who have became complacent and overly confident and who do not push the envelope of success in educating our future generations.

However, teachers are only a portion of the equation and many other factors can contribute to a student's lack of achievement as well.

Homes in which both parents work, broken homes, peer rejection and acceptance, and the ever-changing world of technology that fills up children's lives like television, the Internet and gaming systems could be factors as well.

Some of the heat needs to be taken off underpaid, and sometimes underappreciated, teachers and directed toward more useful approaches such as how to keep students interested and help them cope with the challenges they face on a daily basis. Blaming teachers alone is biased.

Travis Burns

Hustonville

Sentenced to poverty

With the unemployment rate at 10 percent in Kentucky, you would think that those with a job would be more appreciative, and do their best to stay employed.

Time after time, I witness people in fast-food, department stores, etc., disinterested, rude and not taking pride in their jobs. Worst of all, they seem not happy at all to be employed.

I am an unemployed ex-felon who has paid his dues and then some. Yet society still won't give me a chance when I check that box on an application that asks if you've been convicted of a felony.

Remember, that's not who I am. I made a horrible mistake in my past that's turning into a life sentence of poverty.

Kenneth Michael Watson

Lexington

Invest in early education

As the opinion in "A New start for Head Start" (Oct. 4,) rightly notes, research shows that early-childhood education helps poor children succeed in school — but only if it is of high quality.

I am pleased that you focused attention on the Obama administration's efforts to raise the bar for Head Start. It's important to note, however, there is another important opportunity to increase access to quality early childhood education for our nation's children.

Congress is currently preparing to rewrite our nation's major education law, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

This is a unique opportunity for America to invest in an education strategy proven to save taxpayer money and close achievement gaps that benefit all generations: high-quality pre-kindergarten.

With only 24 percent of 4-year-olds in the United States having access to publicly funded pre-K, it's high time our federal education law gives our grandchildren the pre-K start they need to succeed academically and beyond.

Mary Musgrave

State coordinator, Generations United's Kentucky Seniors4Kids

Lexington

Impressed by Alltech

I am not an equine expert, horse owner or avid rider. Regarding the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, I did not pre-purchase event tickets or make advanced plans to attend the venue.

However, as a Lexington resident, I knew I would regret not attending this unprecedented event. My children and I got up on Oct. 8 and decided to make the effort.

Never having ventured on our city bus system, we were directed by very friendly LexTran employees to the bus that would take us to the Horse Park.

It was fun talking to our fellow bus passengers who came from all over the country.

General admission tickets were easily procured and we toured the facilities for about 2½ hours on an exceptionally crisp, sunny day.

Aside from WEG's pageantry, international flair and entertainment, the biggest surprise was discovering Alltech. Following the multitudes of schoolchildren attending that day, we traveled from each section of the well-appointed tents, reading and studying the information, listening to the attendants.

I had no idea of all the areas in which this aggressive, innovative company is involved. Central Kentucky is indeed fortunate to have it in our midst.

Missy Clifton

Lexington

Salute for the Games

Now that I am back home from the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, I just wanted to tell the people of Lexington, of Kentucky and especially the volunteers, what a great show you put on.

This was my fourth WEG and the first few days of every WEG have always been spent figuring out how to do it, since there is no template to work from. Lexington was no different, but the problems got sorted out and almost everything ran smoothly.

You did a great job even outside the confines of the show as I enjoyed my time touring the area. I hope you all felt it was worth the time and effort, as you presented Kentucky and Lexington in the best possible light.

Nancy Borneman

Prineville, Ore.

Post-Games planning

With all of the preparation that went into the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, Lexington should not halt the effort to make its city a showcase of urban living in Kentucky.

Lexington added a few hotels, refurbished many downtown parks, extended LexTran bus service to more frequent and reliable routes, and completed most segments of the Legacy Trail within three years.

I would urge the city government to continue investing in such amenities to help improve the quality of life for the citizens of Lexington and the surrounding communities.

More efforts should be made to add trails to connect the city to its rural areas. LexTran should develop more reliable and accessible methods of transit throughout its urban areas. LexTran should also target downtown and college campus commuters with more incentives to ride regularly.

Lexington should hold regular events such as concerts and festivals in its downtown parks more frequently.

The Kentucky Horse Park and surrounding hotels could prime Lexington for future events and revenue possibilities. Investing money now toward Lexington's quality of life could mean big things for the future of the city.

The additions that were undertaken over the past few years were necessary improvements aimed at moving Lexington headlong into the 21st century.

As the city develops more in the coming decades, I would expect more investments of this type to further improve the social and business atmosphere of our growing city.

Bradley T. Vowels

Lexington

Great online coverage

Thank you for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games coverage in your newspaper. I read it online from Northern California. Great pictures and articles.

Jan Dragan

Chico, Calif.