Holding the dead hostage
Re: "Grave Debate" (Jan. 21), thank you for a balanced, thoughtful piece on a subject people think is taboo but upon which, I find, many very willing to talk and express opinions. Thirty years ago, the Louisiana Legislature substituted the phrase "funeral director or person acting as such" with "Every dead human body shall be disposed of and prepared through a funeral establishment and under the supervision of a licensed funeral home or embalmer." Blank death certificates are issued by the parish health officer, in registered, sequential order only to funeral directors. —Kit Kitrell, friend, Funeral Consumers Alliance, Lake Charles, La.
Now, the 'real' change
Re: Jack Lessenberry's "I had a dream" (Jan. 21) — wow, even though you decided to take an interesting viewpoint of it, I was relieved to hear someone say what I was recently thinking, the point that I feel so many people are missing: how things are still not equal in this country regardless of our newly elected African-American president. I was driving down Woodward Avenue from Wayne State University and listening to the inauguration on NPR. The reporter was talking about how this is such a great day, and how this truly shows how far America has come along. But look around; things are still very unequal. I know it's the way of our media, to give this country a gold star for anything and everything, and this is its biggest gold star yet; I guess I am just surprised at how many people actually think that way too. We need to really start caring about each other, not just our image. —Whisper Smith, Ferndale
Server error message
Thanks to Jane Slaughter for the wonderful review of Angelina's Italian Bistro ("Talkin' Italian," Jan. 21). The restaurant business is a passion of ours as well as a work in progress. Also, thanks for the gentle server reminder: I won't be so gentle when I revisit that point with our waitstaff! We have tried to emphasize to all staff that our goal is to build a loyal customer base rather than try for one big hit, even if that means helping customers spend less. Some of us have swung and missed on that one. We are challenging ourselves to raise the bar for food and service in the Detroit area so any comments — even and especially negative — are welcome. —Tom Agosta, co-owner, Angelina Italian Bistro, Detroit
The spark of truth
Thanks to Curt Guyette for his excellent and informative article on the new medical marijuana law ("Still rolling out," Jan. 14), as well as his accurate reporting. We don't often get to enjoy a lot of accuracy on this issue with regard to the press, nor have many of the stories published around the state been very comprehensive
Metro Times has stood apart from many of the others since the Proposal 1 campaign began — a fine tribute to you and your staff. —David Light, Saginaw
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