Letters

Movers and Shakers

Our annual roundup of the 100 most influential people prompted comment about famous and not-so-famous sources of influence and appreciation for the diverse talents that shape our world

Thank you for including a diverse group of influential people in your TIME 100 list [May 8]. I was delighted to see the story on the South Korean pop star Rain. His fame across Asia and his upcoming English-language album show that pop culture no longer moves strictly from West to East.

JANET VO Boston

As a college student struggling to decide what to do with my future, I very much appreciated your list of the 100 most influential people. It was inspiring to see that all 100 people who influence society in so many different ways have at least one thing in common: passion. Your article reminded me that the most important thing is not what I do; I just need to love doing it.

LYDIA KIM Evanston, Ill.

It is good to know that American stars such as Angelina Jolie and George Clooney are using their fame to address serious problems. Celebrities who choose to get involved in pressing social issues can raise awareness and inspire others to take positive action. Depicting Jolie as a puffy-lipped, pregnant Virgin Mary, however, was a wee bit overboard.

JACK GORDON Sewickley, Pa.

I admire your including Bill and Melinda Gates in the list of important leaders. As a physician who has spent 50 years working in more than 20 countries, I have always dreamed that there would someday be enough money for the control of diseases in underdeveloped countries. Perhaps my dreams will come true through the generosity of that couple.

FEREYDOUN ARFAA Danville, Calif.

After reading about Costco CEO Jim Sinegal, I am getting a membership to Costco and will never again darken the doorway of Wal-Mart. It seems that Sinegal understands what many companies knew 50 years ago: if you take good care of good employees, they will serve the company, not only themselves.

PAUL HERMAN Sun City West, Ariz.

The entire issue deserves commendation, but I especially thank you for the tribute to the Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash written by NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. I have often wanted to send off a note to Nash thanking him for his positive attitude and the fine example he sets. To have had the article authored by Barkley must have been really meaningful for Nash.

(THE REV.) BILL ALBRIGHT Macungie, Pa.

Joel Stein's "Meet The Other 100" gave me a great idea: to make a list of the people who matter most to me. I wish I had started that list a long time ago. At my age, 75, not everyone on my list is alive today, which is regrettable. I never took the trouble to tell a high school teacher or a business mentor or a beloved grandfather what a significant influence each had on my life. I urge young people to make a list every 10 years and make sure you take the time to tell those people why they have had an influence on your life. All will be better for having done so.

NELSON M. FELLMAN Voorhees, N.J.

Insulin Advice

Columnist Andrew Weil's "Your Drug Was Discontinued" [May 8] addressed the discontinuation of animal-sourced insulin but did not include important information. Eli Lilly & Co. is helping patients make a safe transition from animal insulin to synthetic human and analog insulins, the gold standard for diabetes treatment, by providing resources and education to physicians and patients on alternative insulin-therapy options. Our first priority has been to help those patients make as smooth a transition as possible. And patients who still use animal insulin can seek permission to obtain it through a special process offered by the FDA on its website www.fda.gov/cder/ drug/beefandporkinsulin/; 301-734-3277). Thanks to innovations in treatment, only 2,000 of the 3.5 million Americans who needed insulin in 2005 were still using animal insulin.

DR. JOHN C. LECHLEITER PRESIDENT AND COO ELI LILLY & CO. Indianapolis, Ind.

Ease Off the Gas

The only way to lower the price of gas for good is to decrease the demand [May 8]. Stop driving so much. Take the bus, ride a bike, take a walk, join a van pool, take the train. Buy hybrid cars and trade in your Hummers and SUVs. And once in a while, stay home. The natural order of the capitalist economy will take care of the rest. Then we can stop blaming the oil companies, the Arabs and the terrorists for the price of gas.

LEE KANN Pittsburgh, Pa.

Since the first fuel crisis, we have had more than 30 years to develop alternative fuels, yet we haven't done it. Coincidence? I don't think so. Brazil can free itself of imported oil by running its cars on sugarcane-derived ethanol, yet the most developed country in the world can't. Pressure by oil companies on our ethically and morally bankrupt politicians has put us in this spot.

GEORGE P. CUONZO Chicago

It amuses me no end to see Americans carping about gas prices while paying less than they are willing to pay for the same quantity of bottled water. It is time to wake up and realize that the price of a precious commodity whose supply is dwindling can only go up, not down. It is time that Americans start investing in public transport and working near their homes or living near their jobs. Just think how much more you could accomplish if your commute were shorter and someone else did the driving.

SUDHIR JAIN Calgary, Alta.

The Rhythm Method Remains

"Condom Fight: The Vatican Strikes Back" [May 8] reported that the Roman Catholic Church is not changing its position and will not condone condom use under any circumstances. As a former Catholic, I rue the day when I confessed to a priest that I used birth control after having my fifth baby. That man said I was sinning and read the riot act to me. He had a lot of nerve! The church's policy against artificial contraception is nothing short of medieval.

MARY THOMAS Garden Grove, Calif.

Stay-at-Home Dems

Essayist Caitlin Flanagan argued that "the Democratic Party is losing the housewife vote" [May 8]. As a Democrat and a churchgoing wife and full-time mother, I can relate to Flanagan's frustration. To me, Democrats stand for equality, compassion for the poor, concern for the environment and a host of other traditional moral values. But Republicans have made opposition to abortion and gay marriage the moral high ground, even as they start wars, torture prisoners, give to the rich, take from the poor and promote the death penalty. Until the Democrats embrace the traditional moral values inherent in their philosophy and shout them from the rooftops, the Republicans will continue to claim a monopoly on morality.

CATHERINE KOZLOWSKI Sterling Heights, Mich.

Flanagan sounds like a liberal snob with her nose twisted out of joint. As a widely published writer, she's hardly a classic stay-at-home mom. More likely, she is just irritated at the reaction her pieces have received from other liberal writers. But such polemicists do not constitute the soul of the Democratic Party. If Flanagan wants to become a Republican because she got her feelings hurt, she should try getting over herself.

DONAL JONES Decatur, Ga.

Maid for Marriage

The story "Wanted: New Roomaid" [May 1] reported that the latest fad in living arrangements has the man working full time while sharing a home with a woman who cooks and cleans in return for free rent, no sex involved. What's so new about that? It's called marriage.

ARNIE POLLINGER Holliston, Mass.