Dear Editor:

Yellow Book USA is offensive to Asian People, Women and Me .

Last week the 2008-2009 Union County Yellow Pages published by Yellow Book USA arrived on my stoop. I threw the copy on the front seat of my car. I eventually pick it up and turned pages looking at the display ads. What I saw printed on pages 235 through 239 was both appalling and offensive to Asian people, women and to people in general. 

Starting on page 235 you will find the heading "Escort Service" There you will see display ad after display ad which feature women, over 80% of them Asian women, in vulgar and tasteless ads. These ads should not be published in a book that is dropped at the front door of every home and business in our community. Here are the names of the first 10 display ads:

Asian Beauty, 

Asian Honey, 

Asian Hot Babe, 

Asian Lover, 

Asian Pleasure Club, 

Asian Skin Club, 

Lace Escorts, 

Top Asian Beauty, 

NJ Party Girls

New Jersey's Lollipop Girls.

Additionally, here are some of the large type copy in the ads, Exotic and Sexy, Hotel and Residential, Discreet Billing, The Ultimate Girlfriend Experience, One-on-One, Role Play, Swing Clubs and much more.

I called Yellow Book's Customer Service to register a complaint, and was told by their representative that if a business gives us their money we have to publish the ad. This statement does not pass the "smell test". Of course a publisher can pick and choose what it prints; there are no ads for Adult Book Store and Strip Clubs in their book.

In the 1990's I worked for Sprint Yellow Pages and briefly for Yellow Book through an acquisition; Sprint Yellow Pages stopped selling ads to Escort Services over ten years ago.

I spoke to the President of The Local Yellow Pages, Doug Brown. His company publishes a local community yellow pages; they have never accepted display ads for escort services. They do not feel that business reflects the values of the communities they service.

I asked to have a more senior representative of Yellow Book call me back. I was told nobody would get back to me and to try sending a letter.

I will not bring this book in my house; I would not want my seven-year-old daughter looking at it. Should Yellow Pages be harmful to expose to a child. I think not. Its time Yellow Book USA take a stand and refuse to accept and publish these exploitive and demeaning ads about women.

Daniel H. Weiniger

Westfield, NJ