Thank you for your sensitive and honest story about Danna Young's love story/blog about her husband, Mike [News, "A Grief Observed," Natalie Hope McDonald, Aug. 24, 2006]. I have been in ComedySportz for eight years — that's where I met and became friends with Mike and Danna. Their story is tragic and even now, over a month after Mike's death, too difficult to believe real. Your writing truly honored Mike with honesty and dignity. You also gave Danna a tremendous amount of respect, and as her friend I appreciate that very much. She is the strongest and bravest person I know and your story painted that picture perfectly.

Jessie Preisendorfer

Thank you so much for truthfully depicting the journey of my friends, Mike and Danna. It's an amazing story of love, life, survival — a veritable Lifetime movie — but you covered it as Danna's blog did, with grace.

Marianne Calilhanna

Not all people who use food stamps are, to be direct, deadbeat leeches [Feedback, "Food Stuff," Ed Vassallo, Aug. 17, 2006]. I was an extremely productive and active citizen until 12 years ago when I hurt my spine. This totally discombobulated my life. I now depend on food stamps to help me live. I am grateful.

That being said, I am given $50 per month for food. Do you live on $50 per month for food, period, sir? Do the people who make up these laws and guidelines? The people we elect to represent us have full medical coverage and a great living wage on our tax dollars. Meanwhile, we the people they represent must live on whatever they deem OK for us. I do not abide by people who are healthy and who waste their lives and suck up handouts. Ialso do not abide by elected representatives of the people living molto-comfortably while the people they are elected to"serve" can go to Heck.

Alba Farina

Peter Singer's assertion that [the question of] whether to eat meat is not an all-or-nothing thing is akin to saying someone is either a little bit pregnant or a little bit dead [Arts Agenda, "In the Event That," Andrew Parks, Aug. 24, 2006]. He believes one can eat an animal that has been humanely raised, even though it's being slaughtered at the end. Let those people tell that to the terrified, humanely-raised animal on the killing floor. Singer echoes the tired rhetoric of those who believed that slaves should remain slaves but should be given better housing. Would Singer approve the Holocaust if the victims were given better working and living conditions prior to their extermination?

Gloria Feldscher

Asa retired Navy officer and war veteran, I would like to tell you about something David Oh did recently to help Philadelphia's veterans [Political Notebook, "They're Down With GOP," Mary Patel, Aug. 24, 2006]. As you are probably aware, various local veterans organizations have experienced federal job-training funding cuts that have had an adverse effect on the much-needed and critical services these organizations have been able to provide, especially to the city's most vulnerable and neediest veterans. David, an Army and GulfWar veteran himself, used his network of contacts to arrange a meeting in Philadelphia between the chief financial officer of the Department of Labor and local veteran organization leaders that would enable these organizations to directly relate the impact these funding cuts have on their ability to provide services to veterans. David is also looking into the possibility of the localvets' leaders traveling toWashington to confer with other senior DOLofficials about funding cuts. Interestingly, most veterans in Philadelphiaknow nothing about this because David shared it with veryfew people. This veteran appreciates everything David Oh has done for us.

Joe Eastman

Westmont, NJ