LETTERS

WHAT'S COOL THIS SUMMER

"As a native of New Mexico, I'm amazed you chose it as the coolest state. It's a terrible place and is the setting of my worst memories." JASON GARCIA Seattle

After a number of dull issues, your editors finally awakened. Your "What's Cool This Summer" is fantastic [COOL SUMMER PREVIEW, May 26]! The articles are interesting, well written and lots of fun. Well done! J. WEYMAN VOGEL Fairview Park, Ohio

It seems TIME is no longer driven by news events but rather by fads. ROBERT M. KRIMMEL Vashon, Wash.

What's cool this summer? In New England, it isn't even spring yet! RICHARD K. BEEBE Litchfield, Conn.

You said New Mexico was the "cool summer state," but how could you not include Gallup in your story? Every August for the past 76 years, this community has celebrated the cultures of the indigenous people of North and South America by hosting the Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial. Gallup may have been forgotten, but you are forgiven. I am still proud to be an elected official in a state so steeped in history, cultural traditions, hospitable citizens and magnificent scenery. GEORGE GALANIS, Mayor Gallup, N.M.

You neglected New Mexico's hottest sport. Truth is, our real UFOs are the ultimate floating objects: hot-air balloons. KATHY SMITH Albuquerque, N.M.

I don't need TIME to tell me how to grill a chicken; there are plenty of women's magazines to do that. BETH KASZUBA Carlisle, Pa.

Wakeboarding is a great summer sport? Are you people on drugs? What about sailing? It remains one of the few summer activities that can be done by anyone, regardless of physical condition. Sailing improves your physical and emotional well-being. What does water skiing improve? DEVIN RUBADEAU Kelowna, B.C.

Roy Blount Jr. made it clear in his commentary "Too Darn Hot" that he dislikes summer. It is probably because he has experienced it in the wrong part of the country. He should try a spectacular Minnesota summer. This year it is scheduled for July 12. DIANE HATTERY Rochester, Minn.

At last someone who has the courage to observe not only that Emperor Summer has no clothes but that he is drenched with sweat to boot! Devoted as I am to cooler weather, I'm convinced that we've been conditioned since childhood to worship the most uncomfortable months of the year. Thank you, Roy. MILDRED OSINSKI TEITELMAN Camden, N.J.

BROKEN HEART, BROKEN WINGS

All the men in her life let Lieut. Kelly Flinn down [WASHINGTON DIARY, May 26]. She was used by the liar she fell for; a male fellow officer ratted on her to save his own skin. She was surrounded by officers, but where were the gentlemen in Flinn's life? As a retired military man, I am ashamed of my former profession and my gender. MICHAEL K. HEANEY First Lieutenant, U.S.A. (ret.) Bernardsville, N.J.

Some advice for Flinn: go on the lecture circuit and drop some bombs there. Then write a book! Your financial security will be assured. It worked for losing prosecutor Marcia Clark; it will work for a role model like you. REMO P. CRUZ Glendale, Calif.

As a former enlisted member of the Air Force, I find the Flinn case highly disturbing. Would I recommend enlisting or accepting a commission in the Air Force to my son or daughter? Absolutely not! Any branch of the armed forces that enforces such ineffective, archaic rules of military justice deserves to lose its best and brightest. LEAH R. JONES Bellevue, Ky.

Officer pilots in command of nuclear weapons cannot be allowed to lie and disobey direct orders without repercussions. For an officer to commit adultery with the spouse of an enlisted person is most reprehensible and inexcusable. The Air Force tried to treat Lieut. Flinn more gently, and it is unfair to fault the service because of Flinn's lying about the adulterous relationship and her refusal to follow a direct order. GEORGE G. DANIELS Orlando, Fla.

KASPAROV TALKS BACK TO IBM

There is more than one good reason for Deep Blue to give Garry Kasparov a rematch [TECHNOLOGY, May 26]. First, the chess champion gave another chance to IBM when he defeated Deep Blue last year. Second, Kasparov is a dynamic player whose participation is instrumental to IBM's soaring reputation. PIERRE GARON Verdun, Que.

The admission that the programmers fine-tuned Deep Blue to curb its aggressiveness provided even more evidence that Deep Blue was acting only as a calculator. If the program had been able to see the forest as well as cut down each tree, it would have made that adjustment itself. In the future, such adjustments by researchers between games should not be allowed. Deep Blue should be left on its own to meet the overall capability of its opponent, a much greater challenge. ROBERT J. KRAWCZYK Chicago

The best reason to support Kasparov over Deep Blue in a rematch? If Deep Blue loses, it won't whine. IRWIN F. EDENZON Slidell, La.

The key statement in Robert Wright's commentary on how people cope with technological change [VIEWPOINT, May 26] was, "Computers don't take people's jobs by acting like people." Kasparov's frustrating moment did not come after his initial loss; that moment arrived when he realized that even though he was the consummate professional, he couldn't adapt and think like his nemesis. HENRY SIKORSKI Garden City, N.Y.

MOBUTU FLEW TOO HIGH

Only time will tell if the ousting of Mobutu Sese Seko from the presidency of Zaire was a blessing or a curse [WORLD, May 26]. Rebel leader and now President Laurent Kabila has promised democratic reforms in the newly renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo. We have heard all this before. If Kabila can do what he has promised, then the people of the Congo will be better off. He may not be perfect, but he has the potential to be better than Mobutu. CHRISTOPHER P. DOBES Toledo, Ohio

The end of Mobutu was long overdue. He was flying too high. He should nonetheless be commended for keeping an impotent band of troops, which helped avert massive bloodshed in the diamond-rich Central African state. I hope somebody will offer Kabila an honorary degree as a Destroyer of the Dictatorship. He is a man of determination and well-founded principles. I'm sure he knows better what the country needs. ALEXANDER KALIMBIRA Corvallis, Ore.

GENERAL MOTORS RESPONDS

Your story on birth defects in Brownsville, Texas [SOCIETY, May 26], did not reflect the letter General Motors sent to CNN [while it was preparing its program on this subject]. General Motors has deep sympathy for families affected by neural birth defects; however, we did not cause the defects. The weight of legitimate, recognized medical and scientific opinion clearly established that GM's maquiladora operations in Matamoros, Mexico [across the border from Brownsville], did not cause or contribute to these tragic birth defects. Moreover, GM has made significant progress in improving our environmental performance, practices and procedures in Mexico. More than complying with the law, GM is recognized by the Mexican government as a leader in this area. GM is interested in providing the medical and scientific opinions on this subject. Please write us at Maquiladora, P.O. Box 33122, Detroit, Mich. 48232. DENNIS R. MINANO Vice President, Corporate Affairs General Motors Corp. Detroit

A REUNION WORTH NOTING

Your item on Fleetwood Mac and its members' signing up for a tour [PEOPLE, May 12] said the "Partridge Family and the Nixon Cabinet [are] the only two groups from that era that have not reunited." I can't speak for the Partridge Family, but there has been a reunion of President Nixon's Cabinet. It occurred at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace on Jan. 20, 1994, the 25th anniversary of Nixon's first Inauguration. JOHN H. TAYLOR, Director Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace Yorba Linda, Calif.

NEW TOOL FOR CANCER RESEARCH

Your article on the biotech company CellPro and the development of a new treatment for cancer [MEDICINE, May 19] left out some vital facts. The stem-cell technology used in CellPro's product to help treat its ceo, Rick Murdock, was developed not by CellPro but by the researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. To date, CellPro has paid Johns Hopkins nothing for its use of our stem-cell technology, thus depriving us of resources that could be applied to further cancer research. In March a federal jury found that CellPro willfully infringed Johns Hopkins' patents. We at Hopkins are proud of the role our technology played in Murdock's successful treatment. We are doing everything we can to ensure that cancer patients elsewhere will have the chance to experience similar success. HOWARD W. CALIFANO Assistant Dean for Technology Licensing Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, Md.