Vegetarians unite!

I just wanted to let you know that I loved Timothy C. Davis' article "Where's the beef?" (Jan. 10) It's great to read an article on vegetarianism in a mainstream magazine -- especially in such a positive light. I commend the author for going vegetarian and for his reasons as well. Most of my friends are vegan or vegetarian for a variety of reasons, including health, the environment or because slaughtering animals is wrong. As vegetarians, we are made to feel abnormal and forced to defend our choices to friends, family and even strangers -- all because we choose not to eat meat for our health and conscious. Luckily, I am surrounded by supportive, like-minded individuals, but I still have occasional encounters with dumbfucks making real jokes.

-- Sophie Nguyen, Charlotte

Issues with "ish"

I'm a faithful reader, but the quality of the Loaf is slipping. The 3/4 page, color photo "Profile" with its insipid bio fluff is pointless. That photo burns up a lot of space for two inches of trivia.

The "Talking Ish" header is so cryptic it somehow makes me want to turn the page. The small type for the interviewee's name doesn't help. I must have missed the intro where you told us what "Talking Ish" means. So what the hell does it mean?

One good thing: Tara Servatius is still the best part of the Loaf.

-- Milt Gross, Charlotte

You say potato, I say patato

While ImaginOn is a great facility with fantastic resources, I think calling it "Charlotte's only children's library" (Culture Surfing: Sokha Khen, Jan. 17) is doing a disservice to all the other branches of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Every branch apart from Main has a children's department with dedicated staff. The branches might include more than just children's materials, but that doesn't mean they aren't there and doing a great job for Charlotte's young people. Perhaps "Charlotte's children's-only library" would be a better description for ImaginOn.

-- Ian Rennie

Librarian, North County Regional Library, Huntersville

Say it Loud

The article ("Papa's got a brand new choir," Jan. 17) was informative and honest. The author touched a side of James Brown's death that I have yet seen covered by any other magazine or television special. James Brown was definitely not appreciated in his home town, and that is a sad fact, considering all the recognition he has brought to the city. It is unfortunate that only after his death, did people in Augusta realize how truly great of an artist and person he was. In no way am I saying that the man was perfect, but he did deserve some respect. All of the points stated above are all facts written in the "Papa's got a Brand New Choir" article. Each point has an example to prove the author's point. I believe this article was intelligently written with an excellent title, which lures the reader in. Also the ending quote, "Only in his hometown and in his own home is a prophet without honor", is the icing on the cake because it's fitting to the subject.

-- Shana Williams, Augusta, Ga.