Thanks for staying
A big shout-out to Larry Gabriel for his short but sweet item about the Feb. 1 panel discussion on arts activism at the Arab American National Museum ("Got your back," Feb. 11). Gabriel was the only reporter, among several media representatives, who stayed to cover the event after learning that special guest Pete Seeger was unable to attend due to a family emergency. We at the museum very much appreciated his presence among the standing-room-only crowd of about 250, who also declined to leave despite Seeger's absence and made this event among the most successful we have ever presented. —Kim Silarski, communications, Arab American National Museum, Dearborn
Che it ain't so!
Steven Soderbergh's bloated beatification of Che Guevara (Cinema, "Che split in two," Jan. 21) is yet another welcome reminder that plaster saints cannot be fashioned from the dustbin of history. Hopefully the failure of "Ernesto of Bolivia" may prompt a long overdue reappraisal of the 1969 Richard Fleischer film that starred Omar Sharif as Che and Jack Palance as Castro. Now that was acting! —Robert del Valle, Royal Oak
Urging single-payer
As a registered nurse since 1979, I must tell you that our health care system is in a shambles. Unless you are able to afford our top tier of private pay care, you can count on the fact that your doctors, nurses and other health care professionals are overworked, underpaid and way overstressed. Although they are trying their best, you can bet you are not getting adequate care. If you're very lucky, you may avoid a nosocomial (caused by hospital or medical treatment) infection or complication. If you are not lucky, we may actually leave you with a serious lifelong complication, or kill you.
We need a single payer system to allow your caregivers to give you care, rather than deal with complexities of a multiple-payer system, where you are passed on to Medicare or Medicaid when you are sick enough that you no longer can work, and poor enough that you cannot afford any other options. We need a fair, simple, Medicare style system — yesterday! —Lorana Tremper, Detroit
Sugar low
Your article "Sugar, sugar" (Short Order, Feb. 18), "in light of Paczki Day, an Eastern European smorgasbord." In the first place, "paczki" (POONCH-key) is plural. If you're going to use the Polish, use "paczek" (PON-check). Paczki would be "Jelly Donuts Day." Seems to me that the singular would make more sense.
Actually, the paczek is not a jelly donut — it's like the difference between Olive Oyl and Marilyn Monroe.
And for another thing: it is not Packzi Day or Paczek Day, it's Fat Tuesday! There is no such thing as Paczki Day. It is a creation of mindless marketing assholes just to fob off jelly donuts as paczki on unknowing fools. If I see this one more time, I am going to hunt down the offender and shoot them — full of jelly donut filling! —Anonymous call left on MT voice mail
Send letters (250 words or less, please) to 733 St. Antoine, Detroit, MI 48226; faxes to 313-961-6598; e-mail to [email protected]. Please include your telephone number for verification. We reserve the right to edit for length, clarity and libel.
