Letters

The Greatest Show on Earth

A double thumbs-up for your articles on the Games [SUMMER OLYMPICS, Sept. 11]. Here in Nigeria just as much fuss is made about them as everywhere else. That is true despite the fact that we just won our first gold medals in 1996 in Atlanta. We would count ourselves lucky if our athletes as a group could win the five gold medals that runner Marion Jones is aspiring to capture all by herself. The joy of competing and interacting with other nations, cheering the winners and even agonizing over the losses makes it all worthwhile--gold or not. YEWANDE FAMUYIRO Lagos

Jones is an extremely gifted athlete who is pretty, vivacious and supremely confident. She seems to have thrived on the pre-Olympics hype for her goal of winning five gold medals. Every Olympic event has its sad moments when an athlete fails to live up to expectations. The pressure on everyone is enormous. I hope she has the kind of success experienced 40 years ago by sprinter Wilma Rudolph, who won three gold medals in Rome. Rudolph was the model of grace and humility, two qualities all Olympic athletes today might emulate. PAUL L. WHITELEY SR. Louisville, Ky.

The only thing truly Olympian about these athletes is their appetite for self-aggrandizement. MARGARET ROBBINS Philadelphia

Jones is incredibly strong, intensely focused and unabashedly beautiful. Seeing her, I no longer have any doubts about America's future! DAVID C. SCHROEDER Bonners Ferry, Idaho

Drugs and the Games

Your report on drugs and Olympic athletes cited nations with cheaters, including Canada, East Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands [SUMMER OLYMPICS, Sept. 11]. Although you mentioned American shot putter Randy Barnes, who tested positive for steroids, why wasn't there more of a discussion of cheating by U.S. athletes, who hail from a veritable mecca of sports drugs? Any competent sports-medicine authority will affirm that the top echelon of world-class athletes includes those who use chemical assistance, and Americans are no exception. SEAN BOYLE Geilenkirchen-Gillrath, Germany

If athletes use drugs to compete, the only contest is who uses the stronger drug, not who is truly the best athlete. Drugs not only destroy an athlete's body, they are a disgrace to the Olympic Games. CHARLIE FENG Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Thinking About Australia

Thanks to Robert Hughes for a beautiful and perceptive overview of his native Australia [SUMMER OLYMPICS, Sept. 11]. He may be pleased to know that some of us Americans are not misguided about Australia. Indeed, on our bad days, I wish that Americans would behave more like Australians. KRIS GALLAGHER Oak Park, Ill.

When God Speaks

It was interesting to learn that Al Gore often makes decisions by asking "What would Jesus do?," that Joe Lieberman called for the nation to renew its dedication to "God and God's purpose" and that Jesus is George W. Bush's favorite philosopher [NATION, Sept. 11]. Unfortunately, what God wishes man to do requires interpretation, and this is likely to be clouded by an individual's personality and biases. It would be reassuring to know that when God speaks to our politicians, they are indeed hearing the real word of a benevolent, omnipotent spirit and not merely invoking God as a propaganda tool. ROBERT L. JOYNT Ann Arbor, Mich.

The very capable Lieberman has a lot going for him. But he'd best take heed of an old saying: "Too much 'Praise the Lord' and even the priest gets tired of it." LESTER DOULIS Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Virtue Personified

Thank you for portraying our boss, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, as the dignified global statesman that he is [WORLD, Sept. 4]. I and many of my colleagues had the honor to witness his unique qualities firsthand last April when he addressed the World Food Program headquarters staff in Rome. It is inspiring to know that such a compassionate and talented individual heads the U.N. family of nations. JUDITH ANNE THIMKE World Food Program Managua

There is little in Africa to make one happy: AIDS, civil wars, corrupt democracies, military governments and stagnant economies. Recently, though, there has been the glimmer of a renaissance, as the world has begun to focus more closely on the problems there. When I saw that TIME had celebrated the world's most powerful civil servant, Annan, an African, I felt hopeful. I am very, very proud to be an African. ASHER LULUFA VONGTAU Kaduna, Nigeria

There is a growing need for spirituality among everyday people. TIME's report has given us hope in a humanity exemplified by people like Kofi Annan. He is a man of honor and spirituality, and in his actions he has shown respect for every human being, regardless of social status, nationality or religion. I thank him for his courage and wisdom. GERALDINE RENOUARD Paris

Shaping Tomorrow

Re your article "Who Needs A Husband?" [SOCIETY, Aug. 28]: That's a question easily answered; no one needs a husband. But the report on single mothers--with its implied question, Who needs a father?--is a different story. It struck me as odd that although many of the women said that a worthwhile relationship with a man should not require them to change themselves or give up their goals, they would still consider engaging alone in one of the most demanding and life-changing experiences a person could ever face: raising a child. I don't think you will find many mothers who, if given a choice, would rather do it alone. We women shape tomorrow whenever we raise a child. And in today's world, mothers have their work cut out for them. ARLENE CARBALLO Guaynabo, P.R.

Safety in the Sky

Re the crash of an Airbus A320 off the coast of Bahrain and of the Concorde [BUSINESS, Aug. 28]: Aircraft designers have always linked airplane reliability with passenger safety. Why don't we separate the two and concentrate more on passenger safety? We need some sort of solution that could save lives in at least 10% of total-failure cases. In many instances, there have been a few precious minutes available during which the doomed passengers could have reacted and attempted to save themselves. Fastening seat belts is just not enough. WAHEED QUADER Ibadan, Nigeria

A Disastrous Cooling

Instead of a threat, the arctic meltdown could be the biggest opportunity we've had to work together [ENVIRONMENT, Sept. 4]. We have to forget the artificial division of peoples, nations and races. We're just individuals with a common goal: survival. PETER DEN OUDEN Amsterdam

Forests Aflame

Lance Morrow's article on fires in the West and the opposing points of view was disturbing [ENVIRONMENT, Sept. 11]. Citing loggers and foresters as holding one opinion and environmentalists as backing another implies that the reader should listen to both sides and then form an opinion about how best to manage our forests. In fact, there is no real dispute among scientists. They believe that logging activity increases fire risks. To blame the fires on those who have prevented logging is ludicrous. Loggers have no credibility in this argument because they are economically biased. MIKE RODDY Topanga, Calif.

Congratulations to Morrow for presenting mainstream environmentalists as people with an "essentially spiritual longing" in their struggle against "vigorous entrepreneurialism." As mysticism involves an escape from reality, pure environmentalism is doomed to failure. PIERRE ULLMAN Whitefish Bay, Wis.

If the issue of the exploitation of natural resources were ever put to a vote, the vast majority of American citizens would choose far-reaching, comprehensive protection for our few remaining heritage forests and wildlands. TIM BAUMAN Portland, Ore.

The timber industry and its political allies are attempting to take advantage of this year's severe fire season. Logging corporations claim there is a need for timber that comes from national forests, and say such logging serves to "thin underbrush" and reduce the risk of fire. Despite their rhetoric, timber companies have no interest in underbrush. They want to harvest medium- and large-size trees, the removal of which increases fire risk and its severity, scientists say. After a timber harvest, an area has less shade and is dryer and hotter. Improvement will come only when Congress ends the timber-sales program for national forests and replaces it with an ecological restoration program that is driven by science, not politics. CHAD HANSON, Executive Director John Muir Project Pasadena, Calif.

The Road to Recall

The only thing more infuriating than watching the CEOs of Ford and Firestone attempt to deny that they ignored the warning signs of a tire problem is seeing the gaseous windbags in Congress give those CEOs grief for turning a blind eye to the situation [NATION, Sept. 11]. Despite 20 years of data warning of future financing failure in Social Security and Medicare, members of Congress have done nothing. They disgust this American with their hypocrisy and complete lack of leadership. I'd rather have Ford CEO Jacques Nasser and Bridgestone/Firestone CEO Masotoshi Ono on the job. R. BARRY CROOK Olympia, Wash.

If the panic over Firestone tire-tread separation steers buyers away from dangerously unstable, gas-guzzling suvs, then the recall will have a silver lining after all. MATTHEW R. BRADLEY Bethel, Conn.

The addition of Firestone to the growing list of companies that act as if the lives of American consumers take second place to the bottom line will only further erode the public's trust in business. Witness the ongoing trials of Big Tobacco and your local HMO. Don't these highly paid Ford and Firestone executives get it? If I don't trust a firm's advertising claims, I don't care how good the product is. I will buy from a competitor. STEPHEN J. DOHL Charlotte, N.C.

Not a Dotcom

We are the owners of the dance-studio building described in your article on rising real estate prices in San Francisco, "When Dotcoms Move In" [NATION, Aug. 28]. It was inaccurate to imply that our company, Pomegranate Design & Development, is just one more of "those well-funded, profit-challenged dotcoms." We are not a dotcom; we have never rented space to a dotcom, and have no plans to do so in the future. MARCI RISEMAN AND EVAN SAGERMAN San Francisco

Divine No More

Your item on new television shows [FALL PREVIEW, Sept. 4] cited Bette Midler's program Bette as the one that many advertisers give the best odds for success. Bette as a sitcom queen? I don't think so. She's about as relevant to modern life as Spiro Agnew gags. I'm unplugging my TV now. Call me when her show has been canceled. SACHA A. HOWELLS Los Angeles