I think this is a terrible tragedy, almost on a Greek level, and I think it's been long enough so that the truth needs to come out.
John Tarantino
Via the Internet
Who you gonna call? It is a scary world out there. If it were not for journalists like you it would be frightening. Your Part 1 of a four-part series on Donna Weaver was excellent. It proves that anyone can be caught up in a terrible event. Anyone. Most people live their lives under the blanket of security believing that "someone" will make us safe..., "someone" will make it right. Who do they think that person is?
Susan Purtee
Trevor Does Hollywood
Columbus, Ohio
Remember when the dailies did it? Another zinger from my favorite writer who covers the endless cesspool that is the Hollywood Police Department ("Hollywood Blues," Trevor Aaronson, August 11). I sent his articles to Edna Buchanan, who was an investigative reporter for the Herald way back when the Herald actually did investigative reporting. Trevor is the new breed who works for a newspaper that fills the void.
When he is 93, he'll still be uncovering the unsmellable at the Hollywood Police Department. He must have to wear a surgical mask to write the articles!
Asa Boynton
Hollywood
Dig We Mustn't
It takes a hunky village: I read Tailpipe's "Hunk of the Week" story in the August 4 New Times ("You Dig, Hunk?"). Thank you so much for taking the time to bring attention to this part of downtown. And running the picture of the winner too! You helped keep Olive Avenue alive.
Anyway, today we finished with the construction crew, and the Hunk is up at www.wedigdowntown.com. Next time, we get out of the heat and go inside the businesses to locate the Hunk. I'm also getting major pressure to do a "Babe of the Week" contest, too. It never ends.
A minor detail, but just thought I'd mention it: The winner you wrote about, Russell Williams, has no gold teeth. One of the finalists, Alfred Brown, does.
Patty Doherty
West Palm Beach
Nursing Home Cuisine
Spare me the pablum: Regarding Gail Shepherd's August 4 review ("Chardees Cheek to Cheek," August 4), you have got to be kidding. I went to Chardees Dinner Club for the first time last Thursday and thought I had walked into a tired old Holiday Inn restaurant or a nursing home dining room.
The food was perfect for the nursing home crowd. It was mushy and required no cutting. Dessert was a choice of pudding, rainbow sherbet, or red Jell-O. I still have all of my natural teeth, so while I may have appreciated that I did not really have to cut or chew my food to swallow it without choking, I found the entire experience depressing and not one I want to experience again anytime soon.
Robert Rosenberg
Wilton Manors
Halo, Everybody
Someday my plane will come: I am sending the article on "Saint Aaron" (Eric Alan Barton, July 21) to all of my friends and co-workers. Between Barton and Aaron Jackson, they have both done things I have always wanted to do. My major was journalism. The problem was, I did not want to write about our city government; I wanted to write stories that made a difference.
So I continued my education and finished a master's in education, to make that difference that I longed for. I never had the guts to do what Jackson has done, even though there were a few discussions at home of me flying to Haiti. You have made a huge difference writing this story. My children and I are currently collecting children's clothing and school supplies for the children of Haiti. I have contacted Jackson so he can handle the distribution once the supplies get there.
Monica Alba-Fives
Fort Lauderdale
Gabriel Diaz
Don’t Cross the Crotchers
Look for us helping old ladies cross the street: I’ve never understood why the sensationalist media like to harp on the supposed dangers of sharing the road with motorcyclists (“Crotch Rocketeers,” July 7, Jeff Stratton). Why no pieces on the dangers from idiots on cell phones? How many near- misses have we all witnessed thanks to these people? Motorcyclists who don’t respect the law pose more of a danger to themselves than to other motorists. Think about it — would you rather be involved in an accident with a speeding, 400-pound “rocket” or an inattentive driver in a vehicle weighing two or three tons? Miami
Correction
In "Riddim Driven" in the August 11 Music section, the name of Tony Kelly's partner was misspelled. It should have been Patrick Sutherland.
