Letters

WELCOME TO A NEW CENTURY

"Millennium this, millennium that! Thank God it's finally over. Now we know there was nothing so special about it after all." BIYI SIMOYAN Lagos

When else in the history of mankind have so many people from places large, small and obscure--around the globe--come together [2000 AROUND THE WORLD, Jan. 1] to share common goals, hopes and concerns? With truly unprecedented scope and reach, the world's citizens met in rare and unique ways on New Year's Eve. We didn't blow ourselves up; we didn't melt down; and we're not picking our way through nuclear rubble. Mankind came safely barreling through a crossroads in time. In doing so, we surprised even ourselves. DAN HOLM Burbank, Calif.

This was a millennium celebration spectacular in its lack of imagination and permanence. So we shot off some fireworks, drank some booze and dumped some confetti on our shrinking world. Whoop-de-do! Where are the articulated dreams of Utopia? Does this shallow and short-lived celebration portend the new age's dawning? BRIAN WAID West Seattle, Wash.

I am so damn proud of us. It's not often that the word we means people the world over. And it is seldom that the sentiments of peace on earth, goodwill and good cheer are actually observed by everybody. But for one night the world was truly united. Everyone marked the moment joyfully, meaningfully, safely and spectacularly. That in itself was something to celebrate. JOAN MCINTOSH Norman, Okla.

YOU CAN COME OUT NOW

After reading Joel Stein's article "Hey, You in That Bunker, You Can Come Out Now!" about the end of the world that wasn't [2000 AROUND THE WORLD, Jan. 1], I can only say that if gun-toting, food-hoarding, radio-monitoring folks were the only people who survived the New Year, I would have gladly gone up in a burst of the year 2000! JAN HATCHARD West Chester, Pa.

As a longtime software developer, I was amazed by the Y2K hype. Government, the media and the public at large were all completely convinced we programmers were too stupid to properly allow for a change of century. How insulting. But to the programmers who took advantage of people's gullibility and profited from the panic, I say congratulations. P.T. Barnum would be proud. And to all the people who stockpiled enough nonperishable and unappetizing food to last for years, I'd ask, Who's stupid now? Enjoy your Spam. DIANA GRUBER Las Vegas

Those of us who prepared for Y2K's worst disasters erred on the side of caution. We could afford to be wrong, and we were. But instead of universal rejoicing among those who were fully prepared and those who weren't, the joking has already started--"We told you so." Perhaps. But had we "doom and gloomers" been right, the panic and tears of others wouldn't have been the object of my glee. MILTON JOHN KLEIM JR. Citrus Heights, Calif.

INSIGHT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

I enjoyed reading Roger Rosenblatt's "Letter to Year 2100," describing 20th century America to future generations [ESSAY, Jan. 1]. But I have to disagree with his statement, "Our books? Mostly small...it is highly unlikely that any writer touted as a heavyweight in our era will make it to the ring in yours." While it is human nature for a given generation to find fault with the quality of its own literature, one would be hard-pressed to find an era that isn't represented. Ours will be no different. There are numerous examples of timeless literature being produced by authors such as Cormac McCarthy, J.M. Coetzee, E. Annie Proulx and Ian McEwan. You can bet that some of these will appear on the reading lists of the 21st century. PAUL DEWITT Woodland Park, Colo.

NOT A MURALIST

I was glad to see the photograph that you used with your article "The Age of Einstein" [PERSON OF THE CENTURY, Dec. 31], of my father Arthur Kaufman painting an oil sketch of Albert Einstein. This was part of the triptych my father painted to show many of the important Germans who came to America because of Hitler. But you got one thing wrong about my father: you described him as a muralist. He never did a fresco, and the only "murals" I can think of were two canvases set into recesses in a wall, both of which were destroyed by the Nazis. HANS J. KAUFMAN Manchester, N.H.

BORIS DROPS A BOMBSHELL

Your article on Boris Yeltsin's resignation as President of Russia [WORLD, Jan. 1] was highly speculative and meanspirited. To blame Yeltsin for what is wrong with Russia is unfair. You seemed to suggest that Russia has a monopoly on corruption and crime. Overnight Russians were asked to undertake a democratic form of government and adopt a free-market economy. As Yeltsin would himself admit, he and his countrymen were naive to think they could successfully manage these very complex changes in a short time. Yeltsin, a leader and former communist unaccustomed to the principles of democracy and capitalism, succeeded in persuading the majority of Russians to accept these two alien systems. He served his country well. PRADEEP K. PATNAIK Charlotte, N.C.

TOTE THAT BARGE, LIFT THAT FACE

I have never been a defender of Linda Tripp [PEOPLE, Jan. 1], Monica Lewinsky or Paula Jones. However, I'm compelled to make an exception in one regard. All three women have resorted to weight-loss programs or plastic surgery owing to excessive ridicule by the media and general public. If they had been men, they would not have been subjected to this incessant and superficial criticism about their appearance. Sadly, society insists on continuing to base its estimation of a woman's worth to a large extent on how she looks. STEVEN MEYERS Gorham, Maine

CORRECTION

Our chart showing the percent of caregivers who work while caring for an elderly relative and who must make adjustments to their job schedule [INDICATORS, Jan. 1] mistakenly said it applied to those who spend more than 18 hours a week caregiving. The correct figure is more than eight hours a week.