Conductor David Danzmayr whipped the orchestra up into a frenzy.

Lizst the rock star

Re: “San Diego Symphony, good but not sublime”

First, keep publishing Garrett Harris’s column on classical music.

Second, his December 5 column on Chopin stated that “according to the symphony program notes, the solo piano concert did not exist at the time,” that is, Chopin’s time. I believe that, in fact, the solo piano concert was highly popular at the time, greatly due to Chopin’s contemporary Franz Lizst.  Lizst, considered by some mélomanes the first “rock” star, composed dazzlingly complex solo pieces, deliberately too difficult for his competitors, including Chopin, to play — pieces impossible for someone who didn’t have Lizst’s broad finger span.

Perhaps Nuvi Mehta would set the matter straight.

• John Mann
• Linda Vista

I could barely finish

Re: “Cheesesteaks are still better than the Eagles”

The perfect ratio of beef to melted provolone to hot peppers.

I just read your article about Frank’s Philly Cheese Steak. There’s a cheese steak place on Miramar called Philadelphia Sandwich Company.

I’ve been to Frank’s many times. But the [Miramar place] puts a lot more steak in their sandwiches, I could barely finish a large. Cooked to order, I had onions, mushrooms and provolone, it was the best cheese steak I’ve ever had. Mind you, I’ve never been to Philly.

1. Peace,
2. Clif Gabel
3. Rancho Bernardo

Race-obsessed Disney

Re: “Meet the new Star Wars, same as the old Star Wars [Big Screen]

"You haven't caught the hype around The Last Jedi? Have you been living under a rock on a deserted island or something?"

Matthew Lickona’s review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi was almost as bad as the film itself.

The movie is not only a virtue-signaling piece of garbage, but also a horribly written, boring, clunky mess. The dialogue is laugh-out-loud bad. Carrie Fisher is, to put it mildly, rusty; to put it less mildly, she comes off as slightly retarded (my friend leaned over at one point and asked, “Did she have a stroke?”).

John Boyega is bland and completely unnecessary, as is Kelly Marie Tran. Their failed mission amounts to an hour-long set up for an awkward kiss between a black guy and an Asian chick. WE GET IT, DISNEY. YOU’RE NOT RACIST.

Every scene is a ham-fisted product placement for leftist virtue and inclusiveness, to the point where it’s preachy and distracting. In addition to every race imaginable, there are ugly people, old people, and even some gingers. The only thing missing (to paraphrase a Janeane Garofalo bit) is a fur-covered Eskimo and a shady gangster, nervously fingering a violin case. Of course, the leads are all young and beautiful; Disney isn’t THAT progressive.

Some other observations: We’re told a few times that it’s impossible to track a ship when it jumps to light speed. Then we’re told, with little explanation, that one of the Star Destroyers has a tracking device which makes it very possible to track a ship when it jumps to light speed.

Although Daisy Ridley is a charisma vortex, we’re bludgeoned by the message that GIRLS RULE AND CAN DO ANYTHING MEN CAN DO. With that in mind, Disney should have picked a female lead who isn’t instantly forgettable. Incidentally, I still don’t understand how she got so good with a light saber. She wastes three or four people in this movie. In addition to being a plump-faced little killing machine, she lifts thousands of pounds of boulders by using the Force, which calls into question whether Jedi training is even necessary for the spunky urchin.

Why does General (formerly Princess) Leia wear so much make-up? Does she apply it prior to battle in a sort of war-paint ritual, or is she trying to outshine Laura Dern and her attention-whoring purple hair?

Kelly Marie Tran has a (very earthly) pendant that’s shaped like half of a yin-yang symbol; her sister wears the other half. The yin-yang symbol is Chinese and the actress is Vietnamese, but that’s close enough for the stupid, race-obsessed producers at Disney. This is reminiscent of the Karate Kid remake starring Jackie Chan, set in China, with Kung Fu. Asian is Asian, am I right?

• Cheers,
• Jon Thibault
• Sherman Oaks, CA

Stay away

Re: “Plenty bubbles on Third Avenue” [San Diego Beer News]

A mural on the back patio of the Groundswell Brewing tasting room in Chula Vista.

You guys published this article about bringing up the West Chula Vista area and unfortunately you referenced an individual indicted by HUD named “Alan Cassel” as a part of this.

As you can see this individual is no one to boast over, this is someone that deserves NO good press as they are currently indicted by HUD!

Instead, maybe you should inform your readers and investors to stay away from this individual due to their character being in question until the indictment is complete.

• Name withheld
• Chula Vista

Perchlorate not bad

Re: “Cleanup on Sweetwater Marsh,” Neighborhood News

Wildlife and migratory birds in particular are vulnerable to contaminants in Sweetwater Marsh.

from fws.gov

My name is Bill Romanelli and I work with the Perchlorate Information Bureau. In your article you reference perchlorate, saying it is “connected to thyroid disease, including cancer.”  There is actually no science to support that statement, and in the interest of ensuring accuracy for your readers, I wanted to reach out.

The EPA, the National Academy of Sciences, the State of California and other trusted authorities have all stated very clearly that there is no connection between perchlorate exposure and cancer.  Moreover, there is not even a documented case of perchlorate causing thyroid disease in more than 60 years of research, dating back to perchlorate’s use as a medicine to treat thyroid disorders

Also, in the spirit of full disclosure, the Perchlorate Information Bureau is comprised of companies that use or manufacture perchlorate, including Aerojet Rocketdyne, AMPAC, Lockheed Martin and Orbital ATK.

• Thank you,
• Bill Romanelli
• Sacramento