As a gardener, I looked forward to a taste of spring and some new ideas at the Home & Garden show last weekend. What a disappointment.
I expected to see some greenery for starts and then maybe some new garden tools, or fountains, or maybe some statuary or at least some Easter plants. Other than the Home Depot's lovely flowers, there wasn't much to appeal to a gardener at all. The hydroponic display was the only exception. The few bits of greenery that I did see looked worse than my plants struggling to survive in my basement.
The only thing I brought home was a bunch of daffodils that I bought on my way out from a vendor who wasn't even a part of the show. It certainly seemed like an inspirational home show but a sad nod to anyone looking for gardening inspiration.
Dick Marshall
Crafton
We're writing to protest that a major city event such as Pittsburgh's St. Patrick's Day Parade was not covered by any local TV station.
I have heard that our Pittsburgh St. Patrick's Day Parade is one of the largest in the country. This year we had Sen. Hillary Clinton, Gov. Ed Rendell, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and other special dignitaries in the parade. It would have been wonderful to see the parade on TV. Also, Ravenstahl and Onorato have been working diligently to showcase Pittsburgh -- why not televise one of its traditional events?
Pittsburgh seniors, who cannot easily get Downtown and stand to watch the parade, missed out on a great city happening. Later in the day, I was able to watch Chicago's parade, but not a parade in my own city.
Wake up local TV stations. You missed an opportunity to showcase something positive happening in our great city, rather than focusing on the shootings, robberies and accidents that we are bombarded with on a daily basis via television.
Jackie and Ron Scanlon
Crafton
I love theater: It entertains me ("The Drowsy Chaperone"), it awes me ("The Lion King"), and it enlightens me ("The Right Stuff," "Amadeus").
Most of all, theater touches my soul. City Theatre's current production of Charlayne Woodard's "Flight" does just that. It is a story about storytelling. It is a story about black slaves in pre-Civil War America -- and all individuals trying to understand who they are, the world in which they live, and how to survive. It is a story about people, strong and flawed, who come together as a community to support one another.
In only 90 minutes, "Flight" evokes tears and laughter, despair and hope. When the play ended, I thought of my mother and the difficult reality that March 21 marks the first anniversary of her death. And then I thought of the image of flight that Woodard and her actors so beautifully portray. I shared this image -- that of my mother in flight, leaving behind her pain and suffering -- with my grieving father.
Thank you, Ms. Woodard, Tracy Brigden, and all those responsible for bringing the magic and beauty and love of "Flight" to the City Theatre stage. Go see it, Pittsburgh.
Ronna L. Edelstein
Oakland
Chef Seth Morrison is right to be concerned about the fish he feeds his son -- and avoiding king mackerel and swordfish is part of what the Food and Drug Administration recommends ("What do you get to eat when Mom or Dad is a chef?" March 13).
But you shouldn't have to be a chef to know which fish to avoid if you're concerned about mercury. The FDA recommends that children and women of childbearing age avoid swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish, and limit consumption of fresh tuna and albacore tuna to six ounces per week.
We don't need to keep kids away from seafood if we know how to pick healthful, low-mercury fish. In order to do this, consumers need access to the FDA advice about mercury in the grocery store at the point of purchase. Some grocers, such as Whole Foods, already post the FDA advice on signs at their seafood counters. Others, such as Giant Eagle, have refused to display similar signs.
While these mercury advisories won't make better chefs, at least they would provide information that their customers could use to protect themselves and our families.
Jacqueline Savitz
Senior Director, Campaign to Stop Seafood Contamination, Oceana Washington, D.C.
Had a dream the other night. I was president of the Mario Mendoza Fan Club. A writer from Baseball Digest was asking for my thoughts on Mendoza's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I answered that I was pleasantly surprised that the hall would honor mediocrity, being that Mario had the dubious distinction of having the "Mendoza Line" named for his subpar hitting prowess.
Later that same night I had a nightmare. I was flipping through channels and came upon the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on VH1 Classic. Madonna was being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?!
Even though I was dreaming, I was cognizant of the fact that Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, ELP, Steve Miller, Chicago, Little Feat, Grand Funk Railroad, Three Dog Night, Cheap Trick, Jethro Tull, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, The Cars, Kiss, The Jam, The Smiths, Duran Duran, Todd Rundgren, Rush, Heart, Pat Benatar, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Warren Zevon, to name a few, were not yet inducted.
At the end of the dream I was chatting with Britney Spears (must have been the NyQuil): "Don't worry, Britney, as soon as you're eligible, you'll be a first-ballot lock. I'm sure Nirvana, Radiohead and Jeff Buckley fans won't mind the wait ..."
When I awoke, I immediately borrowed my niece's copy of Madonna's greatest hits. After all, nothing screams rock 'n' roll like "Borderline" or "Material Girl"!
Joe Waslousky
McKees Rocks
My family and I were attending the Home & Garden Show last weekend, and we noticed that WDVE radio had a table on the top floor of the convention center. I also noticed that it had five or six rather large pictures of Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers. It was showing "A Good Life," the very well-made recently released documentary of Joe and the band.
Sean McDowell from 'DVE is also in the film and I remember some of the principal people in the film commenting that the band doesn't seem to get the support in this area that you'd think it would.
I have been a fan of the Houserockers since the mid '90s, and I've always wondered why such a fantastic rock 'n' roll band isn't more famous, and I've come to the conclusion that this great band and many other good local bands get virtually no help from local radio in this town.
The only time I ever hear any Houserockers on the local stations is when they release a new CD. WDVE will play a cut or two for a day or so. Then it's back to playing the same old tired stuff it plays day in, day out.
Local talent deserves a chance to shine on the airwaves in this town. Local music in Cleveland gets support from radio stations there. Are they better than us? I think not! Great music needs to be heard! Let us hear what our local musicians can do. Local radio needs to support local talent. Music shops need to carry local music. There are lots of hidden treasures in this town. Why make us dig to find them?
Paul Benjock
West Mifflin
First Published: March 20, 2008, 8:00 a.m.