JEFF <3 ANNE

Re: One Day at a Time [March 6], in which we note Anne Hathaway's increasing unlikeability, in part due to her remark that a be-crutched Kristen Stewart should "break a leg." To clarify for Captain Obvious the Lothario here, we get the reference, and it's still a dick move.

DEAR MERCURY—Wading into this week's One Day at a Time column by Ann Romano, I didn't get much further than her excoriating criticism of Anne Hathaway for Anne's backstage, "Well, break a leg, oops!" remark to Kristen Stewart. Someone needs to clue Ann in to the fact that "break a leg" is a well-known idiom of the theater that means "good luck." Anne Hathaway was exhibiting irony and wit. She is a charming and talented actress who does not deserve the ignorant, potty-mouth tirade Ann Romano let loose on her.

Jeff Booth

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FLUORIDE SENSITIVITY

RE: "It's Alive!" [Books, March 6], a review of Frankenstein's Cat by Emily Anthes.

DEAR MERCURY—Why is the Mercury peppered with snarky asides about Portland's anti-fluoride activists? Today I saw another shot inserted in a book review by Alison Hallett, and have seen such comments in other articles as well. I read the Mercury's limited but insightful political coverage regularly, and look at some of the reviews. Your paper genuinely seems to value the food culture here. Do you realize that fluoride will concentrate in food prepared with fluoridated water? What about the fluoride coming through the other end of the water system into fish habitats? Many of our citizens are sensitive to this chemical, and do not want to ingest it daily.

Michael Conley

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CORRECT GRAMMAR VS. COMMON USAGE

RE: "Shop Drop" [Letters, March 6], in which a reader makes an innocuous grammatical blunder that we decided to allow. Can we get stoned and have that "English is a living language" argument again now?

I know grammar is a boring topic, but without it your paper is less respectable and so are its readers. Perhaps some of your letter writers grew up in some Pidgin English-speaking community, or perhaps they just never made it beyond third-grade English. Either way, they should, perhaps, take a basic English usage class before writing something as moronic as "less" people in a letter to the editor. Not only is it senseless, it displays ignorance.

Paul Pappas

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CATHOLICKS

RE: "Catholics Schooled" [News, March 6], reporting on the protests at the Catholic University of Portland over demand for LGBTQ protections in the school's equal opportunity and nondiscrimination policy.

I'm sorry, I'm a bit confused. Did this whole thing blow up because of that half a sentence you quoted from the president: "then we would have trouble"? Do you have the actual transcript about what was actually said, like maybe the whole sentence or the question asked or statement before it? I'm not crying foul here just yet, but the lack of a full statement is worrisome. And has anybody taken the time to even consider the position [school president William] Beauchamp is in? If he attempts to add such a policy, not only could he be defrocked, but other priests at UP might be, too. Instead of demonizing this man, which in reading this article many students, including the leaders of this "movement," seem to already have, you people need to understand the position this man is in and the efforts he has taken, which have actually been important steps. And guess what will happen after he gets defrocked? A new priest comes in, AKA BACK TO SQUARE ONE.

posted by NGN91

The real question is this: What LGBTQ person in their right mind would be a Catholic anyway, let alone attend a school of such a persuasion and expect anything more than fairy tales and close-mindedness? Let these people have their silly, little school and their delusional, discriminative beliefs. Let them have their pope and their "amens." We have bigger fish to fry, IN THE REAL WORLD.

posted by human in training

DARE WE SAY "amen" HIT? You win this week's letter of the week, with two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater, where all persuasions are welcomed, especially those of the beer and pizza persuasion.