Letters

FLAT-OUT FANTASTIC

"Never have I seen such courage, athleticism and grace as in the U.S. women's soccer team. They are truly a national treasure." ANDREW DEAN Talent, Ore.

Looking at your exuberant photos of the championship game [SPORT, July 19], I could feel the excitement of these wonderful young women athletes as they won the World Cup in soccer. The U.S. players were not favored over China, but they proved they had determination and heart. They are indeed America's newest dream team. TOM WAKEN Oklahoma City, Okla.

Because I attended the World Cup final on July 10 instead of going to work, I was fired from my job. But I have no regrets. Words cannot describe the feeling of standing in a stadium of 90,000 fans and cheering insanely as Brandi Chastain scored the winning goal. It was the most amazing event. I can always get another job, but witnessing that victory was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. JOHANNA T. DAVY, 16 Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Watch out, men! These women will not be taking second place to men any longer. Watch out, world! These women are breaking records and knocking down the boundaries of sex and race. They won't be held back. This dream team foreshadows a whole new reality. MICHAEL WOODBERRY-MEANS Atlanta

After a full two hours of play in the championship game, there was still no score. Wow, that's excitement! No more football for me. Now I know why all those foreigners riot at soccer tournaments. They want their money back. CLAY LOOMIS Arroyo Grande, Calif.

You should have noted the role that Title IX played in this victory. The Title IX amendment, which prohibited sex discrimination in federally funded educational institutions and gave a boost to women's athletics, became law the year Mia Hamm was born: 1972. It is important to remember that while the team members' outstanding play brought home the World Cup, Title IX opened the door to make it all possible. HOWARD K. WATKINS Fresno, Calif.

I have played soccer on a women's team of over-30-year-olds for several years. I am 51 and a grandmother, and I graduated before Title IX was passed. I had few opportunities to participate in organized sports when I was young, let alone to play anything rugged. I am thrilled to see women's sports coming into their own and female athletes being given the recognition they deserve. I intend to play hard until my body tells me I have to stop. I am proud of my physical abilities, and my daughters are too. Play on! PAT PANK Royal Oak, Mich.

Athletic, attractive, competitive and refreshingly humble, the U.S. women's team elevated soccer to a new level. Role models winning as a team, these 23 women delivered a World Cup brimming with a renewed sense of pride in what we can accomplish in the U.S. ALLEN H. JONES Arlington, Va.

Penalty kicks should not be permitted to decide a match. In my opinion, there are two world champions: the U.S. and China. If the Chinese had been allowed to share in the victory parade, and the two teams had been photographed with the Cup between them, more could have been done for U.S.-China relations in one day than has been accomplished in years of diplomacy. ROBERT CROSS Calgary, Alta.

Women's soccer won't be equal until the women's pay is equal to what the men earn. Anything else is just talk. FRAN CHUBA Alamo, Calif.

EATING SMART FOR YOUR HEART

A tip of the stethoscope to you for the article on new research on eating right for your heart [HEALTH, July 19]. As a practicing cardiologist, I spend much of my time trying to educate people about the best ways to fight the onset and progression of heart disease. Your report accurately stressed that when it comes to successful lifestyles and medical interventions, there is far more agreement than controversy. A nutritious diet chosen with a bit of common sense and knowledge remains a cornerstone of a healthy life, and there is simply no substitute for modest physical activity. DARRELL J. YOUNGMAN Medical Director, HeartPoint Wichita, Kans.

My mother told us to eat a good balanced diet, not too much of this and not too much of that. She never made a scientific study, and she never changed her mind. Maybe, bless her, she was the real expert in this field. GEORGE J. BREIGLE West Sand Lake, N.Y.

It's incredible that you did not discuss the effect of mental stress on one's health. Getting rid of tension and strain can play a role in reducing or controlling cardiac disease. You cannot expect that diet and exercise alone will protect you. DAVID W. HOWARD Bahia, Brazil

Re wine and the French paradox of people eating huge quantities of saturated fat yet having low rates of cardiovascular disease: Alcoholic drinks, especially red wine, when consumed in moderation can possibly be protective. Red wine contains flavonoids that are very strong antioxidants. They exert protective and prophylactic effects. As the French and others who eat a Mediterranean diet usually consume wine with their meals, the flavonoids can begin their protective action just as the fats are entering the bloodstream. PAULA MONTEIRO CABRAL Porto, Portugal

Rather than spend millions on food research, why not just say anything in excess is bad and nothing in moderation is? The money saved could help achieve a cure for AIDS. GINA LAMY Paris

PEANUT BUTTER'S GOODNESS

It is a disservice to your readers to say the kind of peanut butter sold in most supermarkets is bad for the heart [HEALTH, July 19]. We sent samples of the major brands to an independent lab for analysis, and the amount of trans-fatty acids was well below 0.2%. This means peanut butter would classify as a trans-fat-free food. The majority of fats in peanuts and peanut butter are heart-healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Also, a study at Penn State found that a diet rich in peanuts and peanut butter significantly lowers total and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol. In addition, large population studies now show that eating peanuts, other nuts and peanut butter five or more times a week can cut the risk of heart disease as much as 50%. JEFF JOHNSON, PRESIDENT Peanut Institute Albany, Ga.

ONLY HIS HAIRDRESSER KNOWS

Re "A Man and His Colorist" [FASHION, July 19]: So men are going in for hair tipping a la Ricky Martin. Jeez, what's next? Pink fingernail polish? BOB MANDESON Glendale, Calif.

A WALK ON THE MOON

On July 20, 1969, the day the astronauts landed on the moon, I celebrated my seventh birthday [SPACE, Aug. 9]. It is likely that I was more concerned with my birthday presents than with the historic event, but after visits to the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral, Fla., I began looking at the moon with different eyes. Instead of a round circle in the sky, I see the hopes, dreams, blood, sweat and tears of the people who brought the space program to life. There is something about the moon that makes its exploration so much more real than any other space adventure. Everyone around the globe can see it. The moon walk was the catalyst that brought a world together. ILANA GRALLERT Middletown, N.Y.

BIG TOBACCO LOSES A LAWSUIT

I thank God I stopped smoking 19 years ago [NATION, July 19]. Still, the tragic photograph of Bryan Curtis, who died of lung cancer at 34, will forever be etched in my mind. Perhaps forcing the tobacco industry to place pictures of lung-cancer victims on their packs and cartons of cigarettes, along with the Surgeon General's warning, might help others stop smoking. This is a most difficult addiction to overcome, and we need to be supportive of its victims. ED LAWLER Sharon, Pa.

When are we individuals going to take responsibility for the choices we make in life and accept the consequences of our actions? DONNA ODO Toronto

CORRECTION

Roger Rosenblatt's commentary on the extreme sport of base jumping [ESSAY, July 19] included a reference to the death of a man who parachuted from the top of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. The correct spelling of the jumper's name is Frank Gambalie III. Also, he did not die from the jump but apparently drowned after diving into a river as he fled from park rangers.