Letters

Rethinking the SATs

"Instead of creative thinkers, we are producing anxious test takers. Teachers are teaching to the test, it's clear, and it's epidemic." PAUL NOVAK Asheville, N.C.

The move by the University Of California and other institutions to reduce the importance placed on the SATS is admirable [EDUCATION, March 12]. These schools realize that great students are not necessarily great test takers. Although the SATS are designed to measure verbal and math skills and indicate one's inherent ability, a number cannot truly define a person's intelligence. Innate ability undoubtedly plays a role in success, but hard work is just as important. For colleges to see what a student has to offer, they must look beyond test scores and into the realm of the unquantifiable. RYAN PENNING Rocky River, Ohio

You asked, "Do we want a society that rewards genes? Are we afraid of what kind of society that may be?" The U.S. is that society now. We reward the genes of physical beauty, musical and artistic talent, and athletic ability with fame, fortune and special treatment. The only genetic gift that we do not reward on its own merits is intelligence. In fact, we try our best to be politically correct by saying intelligence is not genetic. LEE T. MARCH Joplin, Mo.

Thirty years ago, when I took the SATS, you showed up on a Saturday morning and took the test. To prep, you made sure you didn't stay out late on Friday night. DAVE HAUGHEY Fort Collins, Colo.

It is ironic that we find ourselves questioning the fairness and usefulness of the SATS at a time when state-required competency exams are popping up all over. In these state exams, I see the same test-prep problems, bias, racial gaps, memorization and the same testing mania that we fault the SATS for. State-required competency exams can cause even more pressure and greater consequences, since in many states these tests are a requirement for graduation, the hurdle students must pass before they find out what college they will get into based on their SATS. SARAH CHOU Los Altos, Calif.

The SATS may not be perfect, but colleges need something besides high school transcripts to evaluate students. Two schools at which I taught were rife with grade inflation. Now I teach in college, and after a couple of weeks it's obvious to me which students' high school grades were fudged. They usually receive poor college grades and often end up dropping out because they can't handle the work. No, the SATS aren't perfect, but to admit students solely on the basis of grades earned in secondary school would turn into an unqualified disaster. CANDACE MURDOCK Rome, Ga.

How can a single test that isn't even based on school curriculums count for so much? The smartest thing to do would be to give the SATS less value. But some of the "alternatives" to the SATS unhinged my jaws. I believe that knowing mathematical formulas is still more reasonable for a standardized test than constructing Lego robots or writing cartoon captions. KAREN CHENG Plano, Texas

--Several sharp-eyed readers questioned the oddly numbered SAT scores of some of the famous folks we listed (Ben Stein, 1573; George W. Bush, 1206; Al Gore, 1335), noting that SAT numbers today are rounded off to the nearest 10. The College Board began to round off test scores only in 1970.

Death on the Farm

I am dismayed by the slaughterhouse that Europe has become as foot-and-mouth disease ravages livestock [NOTEBOOK, March 19]. It is especially upsetting because it comes so closel y on the heels of the BSE epidemic. What would happen if these diseases spread to sub-Saharan Africa? Here, there are few slaughterhouses, but where they do exist, blood and waste run into open waterways from which the towns and villages take their drinking water. MOSES IDA-MICHAELS Lagos, Nigeria

What China Is Selling

Your report on China's Deputy Minister for Taiwan Affairs, Zhou Mingwei, discussed his recent mission to the U.S. [FREQUENT FLYER, March 12]. But as you noted, in putting forth a new view of China's relations with Taiwan, Zhou is "selling something the customer doesn't want and doesn't need." Indeed, Beijing has nothing to sell that is of interest to the U.S. or Taiwan. There is one thing on the market, however, that all three partners--the U.S., Taiwan and mainland China--are interested in: peace. But peace cannot be achieved without mutual respect in this age of globalization. It is hard to shake hands with a fist. Instead of resorting to intimidation, Beijing should emulate the changes that have transformed Taiwan's society. CHUNG GING-LIN Taipei

More Than Simply Stones

Afghanistan's Taliban has destroyed the two towering statues of Buddha in the Bamiyan Valley [WORLD, March 19]. The assertion of a Taliban leader that "all we are crushing are stones" is amazing. Isn't the holy city of Mecca made of stone too? How would millions of Muslim hajj pilgrims feel if a Buddhist fanatic took revenge by blowing up Mecca's "stone"? As an imperfect Buddhist bound by vows and aspirations, I can only sit calmly through my frustrations and exercise reluctant tolerance. But I do wonder if I haven't given in to a bully yet again in the name of compassion. D.J. KHYENTSE RINPOCHE, LEADER United Non-Sectarian Buddhist Front Paro, Bhutan

I condemn the Taliban for the destruction of Afghanistan's ancient Buddhist statues. All the world has quietly watched this tragedy. Governments should have intervened to save the cultural heritage of Buddhism as soon as the plans became known. We should have prevented this vandalism. HAKAN BILGUTAY Ankara

The Afghan Refugee Crisis

I am utterly confused about the U.S.'s policy of dealing with the desperate situation of Afghanistan's refugees and with the Taliban [WORLD, March 5]. The Taliban has its share of moderates who could have brought some sanity into Afghan lives. But the U.S.-imposed sanctions have marginalized these elements, and the Taliban is more fanatic than ever. If the U.S. wishes to engage the Taliban diplomatically, isolating the regime is not the best way. DEBOJYOTI GHOSH New Delhi

I was shocked that the destruction of statues by the Taliban aroused more of an outcry than the lack of aid being sent to Afghanistan by the West. Has the world become so inhumane that it cares more about lifeless statues than dying, innocent children? SALMAN MURTAZA Karachi

Oh, for One More Fight

Garrison Keillor's account of his father's final illness [ESSAY, March 12] just confirms what I have told so many friends concerning the death of my own mother. We who stay behind miss the bad times with the deceased parent just as much as the good times. What wouldn't we give to fight with this person once again? I, for one, would welcome another good and serious argument with my mother because even if we had our disagreements, they were an occasion for us to exchange feelings. The downside is that you come to this realization only after you have experienced this loss. EDITH LARYEA Montreal

Drawing Lessons from Hebron

I was disappointed to see Joe Sacco's comic-strip interpretation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as personified in the West Bank town of Hebron [WORLD, March 12]. While I appreciate the artistic and journalistic value of Sacco's piece, I believe that the cartoon medium only serves to make light of the serious circumstances in Israel. No foreign cartoonist can begin to accurately portray the situation. TIME has failed to respect the gravity of the situation. ZACHARY M. BENJAMIN Tampa, Fla.

By failing to live with the settlers in the same way he did with the Palestinians, Sacco presented a simplistic and biased view of a complicated and difficult situation. He deprived both himself and TIME's readers of the opportunity to gain a deeper insight into the tragic circumstances faced by all parties involved. MICHELLE EHRICH Westfield, N.J.

--About two dozen of you objected to Joe Sacco's artistic rendering of the mood in Hebron, but we received a few commendations. "Sacco's innovative approach to journalism is a way to engage readers and allow them to visualize clearly the entire issue," wrote a Los Angeles reader. A TIME reader in Monroe, Conn., got pretty colorful himself: "Even the most highly educated readers may dive into this piece with the kind of youthful fervor they remember when buying the latest Archie comic book, though the West Bank is far from Riverdale, and you won't find Archie, Betty and Veronica living there."

Bush Pitches His Tax Plan

I am growing tired of seeing President Bush running around the U.S. seeking support for his irresponsible program to cut income taxes [NATION, March 12]. He keeps smiling and saying it is the taxpayers' money and should be returned to the people. But the government's huge debts are certainly the people's debts. The first priority should be to use our money to pay down the debt. BILL H. HAMILTON Pocono Summit, Pa.

Bush and the Republicans are doing a lot of posturing about the tax cut. Since 40% of the cut would go to the richest 1%, how would it be good for the economy and help working families? Distribute the reduction evenly among working people so it will significantly affect 99% of us. Imagine what a family could do with $20,000 (make a down payment on a new house, buy a car, pay college tuition, purchase a computer). We'll call it "trickle-up economics." DAVID LUHR Cary, N.C.

Corrections

Our story on delays in getting a mammogram [MEDICINE, March 12] referred to Senator Tom Harkin "of Idaho." Harkin is from Iowa.

In our report on colleges that are spurning the SATS [EDUCATION, March 12], we said the University of Massachusetts at Amherst is among those reviewing admissions criteria. The school de-emphasized reliance on the SATS in January, and already gives more weight to high school grade-point averages in evaluating students for admission.

A story listing controversial pardons issued by President Clinton [NATION, Feb. 26] included that of Howard Mechanic. We said he lobbed a cherry bomb at police during a 1970 demonstration at St. Louis University. The protest took place at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.