Letters

MEMORY

"The article about memory was excellent, and I was going to write you something about it, but I forgot what it was." MARGARITA M. HORNER West Palm Beach, Fla.

Many emotions surround memory loss, the worst of which is fear [SCIENCE, June 12]. I was rapidly losing my memory before medication that helped me was prescribed. One day my husband gently asked me if there was a reason I had hung up the phone in the sink. It was funny and a little scary, but what I didn't share with him was that while on the phone with our Chihuahua on my lap, I had tried to hang up the dog. Now I'm much better. I faced the fear and got help. DARLYNE TRAUM STROHMENGER West Seneca, N.Y.

Thank you for raising awareness about memory loss in later life. Those concerned about significant memory loss need to seek evaluation by specialists who are experienced in the diagnosis of depression and dementia. Remember that depression is quite prevalent among geriatric populations and is nearly always associated with reduced attention. Poor attention to one's environment prohibits registration, and long-term consolidation, of important information into memory. MICHAEL M. KEIL Yorba Linda, Calif.

Since my last birthday was the big 7-0, I decided to take the memory test. I was doing great and rattled off my last three mayors: Rudy Giuliani, David Dinkins and Ed Koch. However, I'd forgotten one big thing: I moved to Bucks County, Pa., 14 years ago. I never lose my car keys but always misplace my glasses, which I need when I drive. What category do the experts put me in? ESTELLE AUSTIN Newtown, Pa.

It does seem that as we age we forget more easily, but this is mainly the result of other factors that people interpret as part of the aging process. Older adults might not be so concerned about the decline in their mental faculties if it were not for a commonly held stereotype that their mental acuity deteriorates as they grow older. The elderly suffer many losses, such as deaths of a spouse and friends. The resulting sadness often causes forgetfulness that is wrongly perceived by society as dementia. JAMAL I. BITTAR Toledo, Ohio

I don't have a memory problem. I have an information-overload problem. Information flows from the Internet, the telephone, the fax, the TV, movies and books. But the cure is cheap and simple: Remember what's important, and forget the rest. JUDY HORAN Omaha, Neb.

When you are young and forget something, you need to pay more attention. When you are middle-aged and forget, you are absentminded. When you are over 60, you've got Alzheimer's. It's all the same thing. So why worry? FRED G. THOMPSON Ottawa

I answered a newspaper ad soliciting volunteers for a memory study. After taking a test over the phone, I was reassured that I definitely was not in danger of losing my memory. The rationale: "If you misplace your keys, you'll find them. But if you find them and don't know what they're for, then you're in trouble!" When I told my daughter I felt like a klutz, she said, "Don't worry, Mom, you've misplaced things and been a klutz for 40 years! Nothing has changed!" What a reassuring put-down! MONA MOFFAT Fort Myers, Fla.

BUSH PAUSES

Why do you link George W. Bush's granting of a stay of execution with compassion for Ricky Nolen McGinn [NATION, June 12]? Bush has always been a man-eating tiger about Texas executions. Do we think a catchy campaign phrase can suddenly change his stripes? You didn't report that Barry Scheck offered to pay for a DNA test for McGinn, who was convicted of rape and murder. The fear of being caught with a wrong decision is what drives most politicians of any stripe. PHIL PARKINSON Rio Rancho, N.M.

That George W. Bush just plain irritates Margaret Carlson is clear. Give the man a break. Bush showed strength and courage by allowing a condemned man some extra time to complete DNA testing. DENNIS HANSEN Houston

While reasonable, moral and intelligent people have valid arguments for or against the death penalty, one thing rings true: the decision is too important and too serious to be dictated by the whims of politics. While I am glad to see a life spared, at least temporarily, Bush's flip-flop from his apathetic stance on previous cases is a real disgrace to both our justice system and our choice in political candidates. ROBERT M. RADESKI Lake Gregory, Calif.

WHO'S AFRAID OF VIOLENCE?

Re Amy Dickinson's article on violent cartoons [PERSONAL TIME, June 12]: I have seen The Lion King, and I think it may be a tiny bit violent. But the main characters are, after all, lions. I was four years old when I first saw the movie, but I was not scared by violence. All I was thinking was, "Go, Simba, go!" It helped that my parents were there to talk to me about the movie. The scary scenes in Disney movies make them more exciting! Without them, the movies would be DUUUULLLL! MELISSA MARANTO, AGE 10 Lake Bluff, Ill.

DAMN GLAD ABOUT CHANGE

Daniel Okrent's operatic lament "Twilight of the Baby Boomers" [LIVING, June 12] struck us as far too pessimistic. Amid all those grim statistics, fear and loathing and laments over a future of Metamucil bingeing, Okrent left out one significant factor: baby-boomer women in their 40s and 50s say, in study after study, that they have never felt more self-confident or been happier. Women of this generation, who have redefined so much, are redefining middle age and exulting in the options and opportunities they now have. Sorry, but they are not miserable. And, yes, they remember how it used to be for women over 40, and they are damn glad that so much has changed. MYRNA BLYTH, EDITOR IN CHIEF More New York City

KISSES FOR KEN

Richard Corliss is entitled to his negative opinion of Kenneth Branagh's Love's Labour's Lost, which I found utterly delightful. But his dismissal of Branagh as a filmmaker can't go unchallenged [CINEMA, June 12]. Branagh remains the most consistently exciting and dedicated interpreter of Shakespeare in our time, a filmmaker of heart, intelligence and originality. One moviegoer was heard to remark about Branagh after seeing the film, "He's so fearless I could kiss him!" That's a rare enough quality, and one the world of cinema should see more often. JANE LAND Larchmont, N.Y.

I can only pity the high-minded critics who can't bask in the giddy happiness and joy exuded by the film's sweet innocence, enthusiastic cast and homage to a world long lost. Branagh is our greatest living Shakespearean. Any talk of his decline is just much ado about nothing. NGOC VU San Jose, Calif.

Responding to this captivating and sweet-natured gem with such venom is like breaking a butterfly on a wheel. Even more disturbing is the unduly harsh attack on Branagh. In a time when filmmakers rely increasingly on technological tricks, Branagh tells a story with clarity and poetic imagery. Love's Labour's Lost, his riskiest venture yet, floats like a feather on a summer breeze. VIRGINIA WILHELM New York City

DOCS VS. INSURERS

After reading your health-care story "Curing Managed Care" [BUSINESS, June 12], I wondered what would happen if we "providers" had the courage to write the insurance companies and tell them we will no longer be managed-care contract providers? I'm for it if my colleagues will join me! GARY M. GORLICK, M.D. Los Angeles

ARMS OUT OF CONTROL

The article by Charles Krauthammer on Bush's nuclear doctrine [ESSAY, June 12] brings to mind a history lesson gone bad. Just because we aren't in a cold war anymore, we don't have the right to abandon our arms agreements. The idea that we are the biggest and baddest and thus we can do what we want is idiocy. We need to treat others the way we want to be treated and to set the example of taking a responsible leadership role in the world community. E. TERRY LEWIS Binghamton, N.Y.

Aren't we honor-bound to abide by the agreements that we signed and negotiated in good faith with other countries? Imagine our righteous anger if the North Koreans violated the 38th parallel. As usual, those who have the power to do darn well what they want will do so without regard to technicalities like the law. So much for moral leadership. JILL LIPPITT Jenner, Calif.

Krauthammer's attitude toward nuclear arms treaties suggests that America no longer cares about the world outside its borders. If this arrogance continues, somewhere in the future there will be a breaking point. I do not believe there will be another American Century. BRENDISH JAIPUR Mumbai, India

LAYMEN AT THE BAR

As a public defender, I see criminal defendants all too often choosing to represent themselves against the immense power of the government with their own meager devices [LAW, June 12]. They make ham-fisted tactical decisions and inevitably fail to pursue viable defenses. For all their criticisms of lawyers, after inevitable guilty verdicts, these unfortunates are forced to conclude there is no substitute for an attorney by their side, to speak for those who were unable to speak for themselves. IRENE PAI, DEPUTY PUBLIC DEFENDER Orange County Public Defender's Office Orange, Calif.

HOW TO GET CREAMED

I disagree with the consensus in your "60-Second Symposium" on how to respond to a pie in the face [NOTEBOOK, June 12]. I commend Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman for the presence of mind to deprive the self-righteous jerk with the pie the satisfaction of a hit. What she deserved was a left jab followed by a straight right to the nose. Our becoming so incredibly civilized is exactly what has encouraged the anarchic behavior exemplified by pie-wielding adolescents. RIP THOMAS Cleburne, Texas

MICROCREDIT FOR THE POOR

Amartya Sen's piece "Will There Be Any Hope for the Poor?" [ESSAY, May 22] rang true. The urgent inquiry is, How do we help the poor now in ways that get underneath the crust of political corruption, economic dysfunction or cultural abuse? One answer is by assisting them on a very practical and intimate basis at the local grass-roots level. For 29 years, our humanitarian organization has been providing small loans, called microcredit, to the working poor in 25 developing countries. These loans, for little or no collateral, help a poor mother start a little business of her own. She puts food on the table, sends her kids to school, lifts herself out of chronic poverty, finds her self-respect. Like Dr. Sen, I am cautiously optimistic about the future of the world's poor. The poor don't need a handout; they simply need to be shown a way out. CHARLES L. DOKMO, CEO Opportunity International Oakbrook, Ill.

CORRECTION

In our Health column on full-body CAT scans, "Scan or Scam?" [PERSONAL TIME, May 29], TIME ran the image of a radionuclide bone scan instead of that of a CAT scan. The photograph was misidentified by the photo agency. TIME regrets the error.