New York is ridding itself of Big Ketchup’s mealy menace (“Now they’re coming for your ketchup!” July 29).
I have over 57 reasons for applauding this courage in the face of profound sauciness.
And it has nothing to do with preserving the environment, but with preserving.
As any classicist knows, the word condiment comes from the Latin “condire,” or “to pickle.”
So ketchup is no true condiment, as it relies on a wayward fruit dishonestly masquerading as a vegetable.
Where ketchup once reigned, relish must now rise.
Here’s to relish a verdant, pickled future.
Oliver Mosier, Brooklyn
Uber fares
I am glad that the CEO of Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi, is aware of the company’s astronomical fares after a journalist informed Dara he was charged $51.69 for a 2.95-mile trip (“$51 for a 3-mile ride,” Aug. 3).
I am one of many New Yorkers who depend on Uber for my transportation needs in the city.
Most Uber users have a hard time understanding how Uber’s fare-pricing mechanism works, as it literally escalates minute-by-minute during peak hours.
The company uses a supply-and-demand curve to impose “surge pricing” when the demand is greater than the supply.
This is different from yellow cabs which operate on a fixed mileage charge and have flat rates for specific distances that can be estimated.
I think it would be good to have some regulatory parity and transparency in Uber and other app-based rides.
The fare charges should be understood by the unwitting passengers who routinely end up paying exorbitant fares disproportionate to distances.
Atul Karnik, Queens
China’s viral bear
Didn’t America have a zoo with human bears (“China Zoo won’t waver on bear,” Aug. 2)?
I seem to remember a zoo with the most crafty bears ever.
I visited them every week, and it was like The Wonderland Zoo with the Hair Bear Bunch.
Philip Brannon, London, UK
Medical debt
It all sounds so nice (“City offers patients clean bill$ of health,” July 31).
If you have medical debt and are impoverished, RIP Medical Debt will act on your behalf to absolve you from that debt.
Here’s the problem: RIP is publicly funded with tax dollars.
So it’s a continued advance of socialism.
Burt Firtel, Boca Raton, Fla.
Okla. sex choice
Recently, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an order that solidifies “distinctions between men and women based on sex,” and not what gender one identifies with (“ ‘Women’s Bill of Rights,’ ” Aug. 2).
Bravo! This order will keep men in Oklahoma (regardless of how they identify) out of women’s locker rooms, shelters, prisons, and bathrooms.
This executive order should readily serve as a template for a national law to stop “transanity” cold in its tracks.
Anthony Parks, Garden City
RIP, Shelia Oliver
Heartbroken by the passing of New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver (“NJ Lt. Gov. Oliver dies,” Aug. 2).
Sheila was a trailblazer who embodied the meaning of public service and was a fierce advocate for the people of New Jersey.
My prayers are with her loved ones during this difficult time.
Paul Bacon, Hallandale Beach, Fla.
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