Sarasota's older residents don't cook like Guy Fieri. Where are the recipes for us?

Give readers recipes they can use

Do you know who your newspaper readers are? We are mostly older, retired Floridians.

The Herald-Tribune's July 17 Food section had nothing for us: The article on nutrition (McDonald’s breakfast) told readers about the number of calories, but not the salt content. Salt is the main killer for our age group, our cardiologists warn.

Meanwhile, with one lonely exception, your recipes called for the following numbers of ingredients: 19, 18 and three with 16.

We don’t cook that way anymore. Does anyone?

Carol DeChant, Sarasota

Save Sarasota arts from state, county ax

I remember my Florida arrival six years ago and eagerness to embrace the vibrant arts scene. Hello, Florida Studio Theatre, Asolo, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Venice Theatre, Urbanite Theatre, operas, symphonies, Chalk Festival, Sarasota Film Festival and many more.

Wow!

And then, my shock at reading these recent headlines:

• “Sarasota County Commission rejects arts funding for three popular organizations,” July 10.
• “27 arts, cultural groups lose out on $1.45 million,” July 8.

Why? The governor thinks fringe festivals are “sexual” festivals?

I was a frequent attendee at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival and looked forward each year to a two-week celebration of theater, art, music, film, dance and everything in between: 170 performances of 35-plus presentations, an opportunity for artists to present independent works and unusual productions.

Add in screenings, gallery visits, concerts, workshops, classes, awards and nightly parties. And a program with ratings (e.g., PG-13) for each event.

How generous (and sad) of the Florida fringe festivals to offer to give up their funding so that other groups could be funded. If those entering Florida see “Welcome to the Free State of Florida,” then we should all be working to free and fund the arts – and banish book banners.

After all, as the artist Henri Matisse wrote, “Creativity takes courage.”

Elaine Jarchow, Venice

Project 2025 would dismantle NOAA

Having grown much of my own food for most of my life, accurate and free weather reports are highly important to me. Therefore, I was shocked to read that Project 2025, widely considered the blueprint for a second Trump administration, seeks to dismantle the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which gives us our weather data, advisories and forecasts.

In this summer of extreme need for reporting on daily severe weather in our country and accurate hurricane data, all voters must be aware of such sociopathic plans. Google “Project 2025” (created largely by former Trump staffers) to inform yourself of the unbelievable agenda, which includes things like abolishing the Department of Education.

You may be asking why anyone would want to dismantle NOAA.

In addition to forecasting weather, NOAA possesses a vast storehouse of information on climate change that proves human-induced global warming. The Heritage Foundation, the creator of Project 2025, receives considerable funding from fossil fuel companies.

Get the connection?

Our national security is only as strong as our ability to predict the weather. Making Americans more ignorant about climate won’t eliminate the fact that it is changing.

It will only make those changes more deadly.

Peter Burkard, Sarasota

We need a Gandhi to heal America

The banner headline in the July 15 edition of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune was “An attack on our democracy.”

The entire country is up in arms about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

The media and our elected officials are swarming with these questions: What was the assassin’s motive? How did he gain access to the roof only 150 yards from Trump? Was it a failure on the part of the Secret Service? What can be learned from accessing the shooter’s cellphone?

But these are not the issues, only minor details. Our country is at an impasse due to our polarization and not knowing how to proceed for the United States to become 50 united states.

Our divide is so extreme and rife with incendiary anger that our democracy is under threat. To rescue us from the toxic conditionwe’ve created, what we need is a person or a committee with the insight and vision of Gandhi’s to effect a massive cultural change, especially in the way we regard and treat one another.

This is the challenge we’re facing. Nothing less will do. Certainly not “turning down the rhetoric” or fresh legislation.

John Marcus, Sarasota

Biden wearing emperor’s new clothes

In the tale “The Emperor's New Clothes," the tailor convinced the emperor that his new clothes, although nonexistent, could only be seen by others who are of high caliber.

In order not to look stupid, his subjects lauded his “clothes,” thus perpetuating a lie. The emperor wasgullible enough to believe it.

I’m afraid President Joe Biden cannot see beyond the lie and admit he has no clothes.

Marie Baumann, Sarasota