Letters

Good as Gold

After five months of horrifying news, it was refreshing to escape briefly into the world of Jamie Sale and David Pelletier and their quest for the gold medal [WINTER OLYMPICS, Feb. 25]. Their venture had everything: a talented, attractive pair of figure skaters reaching for their dream, an obstacle to it and finally (like the made-for-TV movie that will surely come) a storybook happy ending. I know they had a few difficult days, but their tale of triumph overcoming adversity was like a minivacation for this American's battered psyche. LINDA COURTEMANCHE Royersford, Pa.

While I won't disagree that the corruption in Olympic judging needs to be seriously addressed, I question the decision to give the Canadian figure skaters a gold medal in addition to the one won by the Russian pair Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze. What would have happened if the situation had been reversed and the Russians had challenged the judges? Nothing. The controversial resolution of awarding two gold medals was obviously aimed at pleasing the American press and public, and it reeked of cold war residue. It is rather symptomatic of the nation of plaintiffs that is America. Your cover headline should have read, injustice triumphs. NINA KOUPRIANOVA Winnipeg, Man.

Even a rank amateur like me could tell that the flawless performance of Sale and Pelletier was better than the wobbly exhibition put on by the Russian pair. The Canadians should be congratulated not only for their skating performance but also for their poise and sportsmanship during and after the controversy. AUBREY BOUTIN Springfield, Va.

Competitions are about winning and losing. In defeat, the Canadian skaters made it clear that they did not deserve the gold medal. I give their whining performance a 5.2. COURTNEY R. JOHNSON Washington

Sale and Pelletier are to be congratulated on the professional way they handled the unfortunate judging incident. The proper outcome should have been for the Russian pair to concede the gold and accept the silver medal. Naturally, this did not happen. It is time to clean up Olympic judging. Athletes give their heart and soul in competition, and they deserve to be judged fairly. CONSTANCE K. QUINN Ottawa

There is a saying: those who cannot lose will never win. Gold medals cannot be covered with mud, no matter how hard somebody tries to dirty them. And silver medals don't turn into gold, no matter what somebody tries. The Canadian pair surely understand that they got their consolation medals just to calm down the crowd. OLGA IVANOVA Novosibirsk, Russia

The resolution to the pairs-skating fiasco was the right one. Both teams had been done an injustice. Although Sale and Pelletier earned the gold, it would have been a miscarriage of justice to take it away from the Russians after it had been presented to them. It was a wise call to award a medal to each team. Figure skating is an art. That's why I watch. But something needs to be done about the manner in which it is judged to avoid disputes in the future. JOHN P. FARRIS Alamo, Texas

--The controversy over the judging of pairs skating extended to the pictures in our story. Some of you felt the Russians got shafted by ugly photographs. "I am disgusted by the blatant partisanship evidenced in your photos of the Russian figure skaters," declared a New Yorker. "You must have searched high and low for the least flattering pictures you could find." A Vancouver, B.C., reader shared the sentiment. "Surely, out of the hundreds of shots available, you could have published a more complimentary one of Anton Sikharulidze. Shame on you!" The cover portrait of the Canadians, however, got a round of applause. A San Franciscan called it "a real standout. It makes you want to reach out and invite these kids over for dinner. If they decide to get married, it should go on page 1 of their wedding album."

New Rules of the Game

TIME is apparently so captivated by the campaign-finance-reform bill that its unconstitutionality is of little concern [NATION, Feb. 25]. You state that "interest groups will no longer be able to use soft money for radio or TV 'issue ads' that attack candidates just before a primary" but that "groups could still make the attacks through a variety of other means." The bill states that corporate- and union-treasury money may not be used for broadcast ads that mention a federal candidate (what you call attack ads) for 30 days before a primary or 60 days prior to an election. This is an obvious violation of the First Amendment's free-speech clause. TOM POTTER South Daytona, Fla.

Corporate influence over the American political landscape has ruled supreme for far too long, and with the Enron scandal in plain view, the people know it. Change is coming in Washington, and I hope it will lead to a government that has no strings attached. TODD HAWES Newport Beach, Calif.

The Saga of the Shoe Bomber

Re your article on shoe bomber Richard Reid [WORLD, Feb. 25]: The passengers of American Airlines Flight 63, on which Reid tried to set off a bomb, are lucky to be alive. If he had gone to the toilet to light the fuse protruding from his shoe, the world may never have discovered the cause of the explosion. Thanks to the heroics of the plane's crew and passengers, we learned of a previously unknown weapon the terrorists have and can now prevent similar plots. RAM PUTHRAN Walnut, Calif.

Your account of the rising number of Muslims in Western Europe quoted an Islamic scholar as saying, "Islam is a sort of natural religion for underdogs." Among the thousands of converts in England alone are well-educated people who are attracted to Islam because of the immense and profound meaning it gives to life, the intricate yet logical social system it boasts and the scientific knowledge it contains. To suggest that most Muslims are dangerous because of their beliefs is hazardous unless one clearly states that Islam does not encourage terrorist acts of crime. ZAHRA HANKIR Sidon, Lebanon

I subscribe to the theory that the shoe bomber was a confused loner and did not belong to a group. If Reid were part of a well-organized terrorist setup, wouldn't he have used a sophisticated detonator instead of a match? And even if he had to use a match, a trained terrorist would have had the sense to light it in the plane's toilet, rather than in full sight of a bunch of passengers. RAMJI R. ABINASHI Amersham, England

Good Money After Bad

Institutions like the IMF and the World Bank, as well as generous countries of goodwill, should think twice before throwing good taxpayers' money after bad in aid of Argentina [LETTERS, Feb. 4]. Argentina needs to reinvent itself. Its recurrent crises are neither economic nor political. They are moral and rooted in Argentine society. The people spend most of their energy on cheating the system. JORGE GONZALEZ Cascais, Portugal

Pets in Perpetuity

I wept when I read the story of cc, the cloned kitty cat [SCIENCE, Feb. 25]. As the owner of two dearly loved cats--and having gone through the anguish of losing one--I dread the coming time when I must say goodbye. But the idea of taking DNA from one of them and thinking that scientists could give me back what I had lost is abhorrent. How many people will have the misguided but understandable hope that they can somehow cheat death? Both of my cats are shelter animals, and when they were kittens, they were not in any way less beautiful than cc. When they die, I want to start again with new kittens, and I will have the comfort of knowing that I have helped save more animals as well as the pleasure of watching them develop their own unique personalities as they grow. GILL MCCLEAVE Cleveland, England

"Here, kitty, kitty!" didn't melt my heart; it broke it. Sure, the kitten named cc is a cutie, but there are millions of cuties in animal shelters begging for love. It was sensible of you to note that "given that more than 5 million unwanted cats are destroyed each year, it's hard to justify spending tens of thousands of dollars to clone a new one. Why not just adopt?" Who needs cc when there are so many originals out there and not enough homes for them all? EILEEN K. BLAU Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

A Happy Camper

Re your column about some parents keeping their kids at home this summer [PERSONAL TIME: YOUR FAMILY, Feb. 25]: As a 20-year-old camp counselor (and a product of the sleep-away camp system), I urge parents to continue sending their children to summer camp. Of course, it can be difficult to afford, but many camps have financial-assistance programs. And, yes, there is a chance that a child may have a bad summer or experience such minor calamities as pink eye, lice and homesickness. But the positive experiences far outweigh the negative ones. I have been involved with an overnight camp in the Pocono Mountains for 10 summers, as both a camper and a counselor. Not only did I gain a strong sense of independence and identity during these years, but I also formed friendships that have lasted a decade. Camp shaped me into the person that I am today. I hope that parents will consider the many benefits of a camp experience before they decide that an inflatable pool and a baby-sitter are sufficient. AMY NEIWIRTH Columbus, Ohio

Oscar Omissions

Your complaint that the musical Moulin Rouge wasn't nominated for Best Score or Best Song overlooks the Academy's rules [BEHIND THE OSCARS, Feb. 25]. To qualify, a song must be written specifically for the film, and a score must be an original composition. Since virtually all the music in Moulin Rouge had been previously written and performed, it was never eligible in either category. MICHAEL SCHLESINGER Sherman Oaks, Calif.

Remembering Margaret

The late Princess Margaret should be judged on her own terms [APPRECIATION, Feb. 18]. To compare her with Princess Diana, as you did in your piece "The Prodigal Princess," is unfair. To focus only on Margaret's behavior as an errant playgirl in the early decades of her life without further examining her full career reeks of tabloid journalism. Margaret was known for her charity and benevolence, particularly toward children. People should consider the entire measure of her life and not put so much emphasis on the lurid. CAROLINE DUNBAR Kitchener, Ont.

Despite her sometimes hedonistic lifestyle, Princess Margaret had an appetite for real work. For 30 years she was a model chancellor at the University of Keele in Staffordshire, taking an enormous interest in the university's research, much of which was directed toward medical concerns such as anticancer drug development and deafness. She met thousands of students who will remember her as a participant in their lives, not a remote figure. Margaret's visits brightened the lives of many in North Staffordshire. She went into coal mines, attended charity auctions and visited old people's homes. These are not the activities of a perpetual playgirl. MARK PARGETER Caversham, England

My father was a provincial veterinary officer in Kenya, and because of his position, I had the honor of being presented to Princess Margaret in Mombasa. Tense and eager, I was waiting my turn to be introduced when suddenly she came in, and I curtsied. Her Highness was so beautiful that I was speechless. She was as lovely as a Dresden doll and so delicate. She gave me a lovely smile that I still remember. RAZIA HASSAN Lahore, Pakistan

To Prevent Another Enron

There has been a lot of criticism accusing Enron's management of illegal acts. Some people are even calling for confiscation of their assets [NATION, Feb. 18]. I agree that we should not tolerate criminal or irresponsible behavior but also feel that we should put our emotions aside and consider how Enron's collapse became possible. It is essential to realize that the creative human mind can always find a way to abuse the system. Although we must not stop improving our legislation and institutions, the possibility of a similar or even bigger disaster will remain. It is the responsibility of each of us to find a way to keep the effects of any future collapse to a minimum. PAVEL EROCHKINE Coventry, England

It is sickening that the executives from Enron invoked the Fifth Amendment before Congress after they stripped people of their life savings. The actions of Enron's managers have caused a crisis of confidence in publicly traded corporations, erasing billions in market capitalization. Those people who gained personally at the expense of others should be treated the same as the al-Qaeda terrorists: they should be sent directly to prison. PHILIP MONGEAU Montreal

Japan on the Brink

Your article on President Bush's visit to Japan noted the sad state of this country's economy [WORLD, Feb. 18]. There is an incredible amount of red tape, bureaucratic behavior and old-fashioned thinking in the Japanese government. Yet the attitude of the country's people toward these things is changing. Twelve years of recession is enough to make the Japanese aware of what is going on. Furthermore, many of the Old Guard, who had great influence in business, bureaucracy and politics during the 1980s, are already out of power. Most Japanese are prepared for radical economic change and are even creating innovative business schemes on their own. KOSUKE SUZUKI Tokyo

Pay It Forward

"What is a life worth?" asked your story on the controversy surrounding the compensation due families of the Sept. 11 victims [NATION, Feb. 11]. Life is sometimes priceless and sometimes worth nothing, depending on where you live. I would suggest that those families who can live without their respective awards not challenge the amount but pass the money on to the less fortunate. This would not only gain them self-satisfaction but also make their loss more sacred. Unending lawsuits only make others feel less sympathetic. ISPHANYAR BHANDARA Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Correction

Our story "The Pirates Of Prime Time," about computer users "file sharing" TV programs using Sonicblue's Morpheus software, included remarks that we attributed to Steve Griffin, whom we misidentified as the CEO of Sonicblue [TECHNOLOGY, Feb. 25]. Those comments were in fact made by Sonicblue's CEO, Ken Potashner. We regret the error.