Letters

PERSON OF THE YEAR: JEFF BEZOS

"It is a sad commentary on our society when TIME's choice for Person of the Year is an e-mail book merchant." RAYMOND E. RICHMOND Alexandria, Ky.

TIME's recognition of Jeff Bezos is fitting [PERSON OF THE YEAR, Dec. 27] because he is more than an online retailer. He has sparked a marketing revolution. When a traditional store sells a book of mine, I'm paid a 10% royalty. When my publisher sells by direct mail, I'm paid 5%. Under these conditions, my royalty on a $25 book can be as low as $1.25. Amazon.com changes that and allows me to earn combined fees of more than $5 per book. Never has a retailer built such fierce loyalty among its "suppliers" as Amazon has by turning authors into sales agents. Jeff Bezos may be the personification of the digital revolution, but he also knows about developing loyalties one person at a time. JOSEPH VRANICH Irvine, Calif.

Bezos invented nothing. He runs an e-mail-order company that is clever about advertising itself, but mail-order and catalog sales are nothing new. So he's a billionaire--big deal! He figured out a way to suck in lots of investor capital and enrich himself and a few other people. He's an e-capitalist on a roll. He has all the earmarks of a robber baron. JEREMY SMITHSON Seattle

Re your selection of Bezos: brilliant, absolutely brilliant! BETTE TELLES Albuquerque, N.M.

I have just one question concerning your Person of the Year: Who was the runner-up? Martha Stewart? ROYAL NORMAN Scottsdale, Ariz.

As a book author, I measure Bezos' success not by how many books Amazon sells for me but by how I am treated. When my recent book was posted, a reader with what seemed like a personal vendetta wrote 13 similar hate-filled reviews and posted them on Amazon.com and two other large online book stores. Three Amazon employees over a four-week period treated me as if I had a legitimate concern, while the other online sites insinuated I was just a thin-skinned author who couldn't take any criticism. The Amazon people took the time to actually read the reviews, concluded they were bogus and quickly dropped them. Bezos' employees ought to share in this honor by TIME. MARK RENZ Lehigh Acres, Fla.

Pac-man didn't fade away. He just kept on gobbling, ate himself out of the box, devoured the competition and became Bezos. SID FRIEDFERTIG New York City

Way to go, TIME. Amazon.com is the best shopping website, bar none. After ordering from a toy company online on Dec. 2, thinking that was plenty of time to ship my items, I found out on Dec. 21 that not only were my items not going to arrive for Christmas, but that my order had been canceled. I immediately went to Amazon.com and guess what? I got the same items on Dec. 22, gift wrapped and ready to put under the tree. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and his name is Jeff Bezos. ELAINE FLORES Stamford, Conn.

Bezos has not created a new way to shop. He has merely invented a new way to lose money--a lot of it. I will withhold my respect for him and TIME until Bezos makes Amazon turn a profit. TED MEEK Indianapolis, Ind.

A better choice for TIME would have been John Chambers, president and CEO of the data-networking giant Cisco Systems. Cisco has created a business-to-business Internet model that other companies would love to achieve. Cisco is profitable and has reduced acquisition costs for its customers. PETER NABER Maple Glen, Pa.

Your choice was a disservice to independent booksellers. This holiday season, Amazon.com drove the final stake into the hearts of the smaller bookstores, which for years have been struggling against unfair competition from large chains and superstores. MIKE A. KAYLAN Bonita Springs, Fla.

Without working too hard, I could think of worthier recipients for the honor of Person of the Year. What about people like East Timorese guerrilla leader Xanana Gusmao, for his successful efforts in creating a homeland for the Timorese people after years of attempting to do so, and Tony Blair and the others who worked with him to bring peace to Northern Ireland? These people would have been much more worthy of the title than a wealthy entrepreneur. STUART EDWARDS Melbourne, Australia

THE PHOTOGRAPH OF QUEEN NOOR

We appreciate the selection of her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan as one of those who made a difference in 1999 [PEOPLE WHO MATTERED, Dec. 27]. It is a fitting tribute for a unique lady. However, your choice of photograph was inappropriate. The picture you used was part of a photo shoot taken when King Hussein and Queen Noor were together in Washington en route to Jordan after the King had completed his cancer treatment. That was the last photo shoot the King participated in before he relapsed and passed away. While this is a beautiful photograph of Queen Noor, it was not fitting for a widow who is mourning the loss of her husband. I only wish the embassy had been contacted for a more appropriate photograph. MARWAN MUASHER, AMBASSADOR The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Washington

TEACHERS AND HIGH-STAKE TESTS

Your report on the pressure by school systems to improve student test scores [EDUCATION, Dec. 20] included the following statement about me: "And in Chicago, a high school English teacher was fired this year after he published six newly designed tests in an underground newspaper to protest high-stakes testing." I am the editor of the monthly investigative and analytical newspaper Substance, a second job I held in addition to being a Chicago high school English teacher. I have not been fired. I have been suspended without pay. At the time I made the decision to publish the five tests, which came from an anonymous source, the tests had already been given to the students. I published them not out of "protest" but to let the public see how Chicago's school system was wasting money on these dumb tests. GEORGE N. SCHMIDT, EDITOR Substance Chicago

COLUMBINE HIGH REVISITED

You should have named the events at Columbine High School as 1999's most disturbing and compelling news story [SPECIAL REPORT, Dec. 20]. Columbine was an important event because it exposed the heart of the American people. It encompassed our complacency, our arrogance, our shallowness, our lust for recognition, our lack of judgment, our resiliency, our determination and our endless hope for a better world for our children. The youngsters of Columbine belonged on your year-end cover for what they told us about ourselves. GUY LILLIAN New Orleans

We do not need to glorify the senseless violence of Columbine or give others incentives to do likewise. Please let us continue to heal in peace. (THE REV.) JOHN MICHIO MIYAHARA-CHO Lakewood, Colo.

Your articles on the Columbine tapes of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold should be required reading for every parent and teacher in America. KAREN WILSON Greensboro, N.C.

CORRECTIONS

Our story on the provocative anti-Israeli comments made by Suha Arafat in the presence of Hillary Clinton [WORLD, Dec. 6] mistakenly said that "tear gas, frequently used by Israeli soldiers, has been linked to miscarriages among Palestinians." There are no scientific studies that show any link between tear gas and miscarriages.

TIME's 1999 Technology Buyer's Guide [Nov. 29] gave the wrong Web address for purchasing the Handspring Visor Deluxe personal digital assistant. The Visor PDA is available at handspring.com