Angela Poynter’s smarmy letter about Covington’s AmeraAsia restaurant (“Bizarre Experience,” issue of May 6) causes me to ask, “What, indeed, had you been smoking before eating there?” The lady must have either had a very unusual experience or been coming down with poor taste.  

Let me preface this by saying that I’m in no way a “food snob.” There is nothing in the world I enjoy more than a local hole-in-the-wall restaurant of quality, but I have to comment on Lora Arduser’s take on AmerAsia in Covington (“Asian Haven,” issue of April 29). My husband and I were pumped about giving this restaurant a try and found the opportunity to do so last Monday when one of our local faves, Riverside Korean (directly across the street), was closed.   

I read Larry Gross’ Living Out Loud column about depression (“Listening to the Birds Sing,” issue of April 8). I have suffered from it for years now and take medication daily.   

I read Larry Gross' Living Out Loud columns all the time, and he's probably a nice enough guy but maybe a little foolish. In his column "Hump Day" he was approached by three panhandlers in only a short period of time. The only one who was totally honest was the man who demanded that he give him money for a pack of cigarettes.  

Regarding Joe Wessels’ column “Cutting the Safety Net” (issue of April 8), I’d like to respond to his comment “handing out money over and over again to those who take and never think about changing themselves is flat-out criminal.”   

It was great to see the CityBeat article "Leveling Appalachia" on mountaintop removal (issue of March 3). This is an issue that has enormous ramifications for all in our country, particularly those in this region who depend on water from Appalachian mountain streams and whose energy is obtained from these destructive practices, which have been referred to by some as terrorism.  

In his editorial Bad News and the Media (issue of March 18), John Fox wrote about a frustration my wife and I have experienced since moving to the city almost two years ago: a lack of positive news from local media. Where we used to live, watching the news was part of our morning ritual before work.  

I really enjoyed Larry Gross’ last Living Out Loud column about the suits (“Greed, Suits and Bailouts,” issue of March 11). I think he nailed it when he said not to expect the suits to have any kind of common sense or not know that it’s not business as usual.   

Kevin, you can choose whatever side you want on the debate and you can even charge Republican politicians with being unnuanced thinkers and knee-jerk cries of “socialism” (or “fascism” from the left) or being mindless, but whatever flaws the free market may have it really does provide more nuance and choice to the individual than any healthcare system dreamed up by even the most sophisticated policy maker.  

I always look forward to Larry Gross' Living Out Loud columns. Like a lot of them lately, "Mandolin Rain" (issue of Feb. 25) was a moving story. I can't help but notice that in many of Gross' columns he's looking back at his life in trying to move forward.