A Lonely Disease

Thank you for shining a light on the disparity between Alzheimer's funding and that for heart disease and cancer [Alzheimer's Unlocked, Oct. 25]. In a month when pink dominates everything from grocery stores to the NFL to raise breast-cancer awareness, Alzheimer's remains a disease with no hope, no cure, no survival rate and treatments that do little more than provide a "did all we could" feeling for its victims and their survivors.
Carrie Storm, CLINTON, N.Y., U.S.

My experience with men's and women's approaches to care has been the opposite of Patti Davis'. My husband has been the most caring, patient and attentive son to his confused mother who doesn't remember me or her three grandchildren. It upsets me and my grown daughter to sit with her, yet my sons show the same gentleness as their father when they take their turn to care for her. I didn't think it was possible, but this difficult experience has caused me to love my husband more than ever as I observe his tireless care.
Berni Mobley, RALEIGH, N.C., U.S.

Davis is the first to express exactly how I felt the entire time I cared for my mother. Questions about why or how didn't matter. It was just important to be there, hug, kiss, love. And most important, to know that, as Davis writes, "beneath the surface of the disease is a soul ... that still wants to be heard." Her words brought tears to my eyes.
Linda Bradshaw Matz, DREXEL HILL, PA., U.S.

My aunt suffers from Alzheimer's disease. Her family members are having a hard time coping with the disease as her condition degenerates at a rapid pace. Unable to recall how many meals she has eaten, she raids the fridge several times a day and attempts to consume any food she can lay her hands on. She used to be a genteel lady and a cheerful person. As the disease erases most of her memory, she chooses to remain silent most of the time, staring into space. The memory-robbing disease is taking a toll on the entire family, emotionally and financially. The most heart-wrenching part is to witness them losing their mother as time goes by.
Chern-Nee Chua, SINGAPORE

I enjoyed your articles and believe a breakthrough is a matter of time. But you didn't mention the unofficial bible for caregivers, The 36-Hour Day an indispensable godsend when my wife developed Alzheimer's. I have since recommended it to many, all of whom were very grateful to learn of it.
Charlie Johnson, SPRINGFIELD, MASS., U.S.

Liu Xiaobo's Nobel
TIME's article about jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo and his Nobel Peace Prize [China's Eyes on the Prize, Oct. 25] sends a signal to the younger generation, prompting them to be more aware and more concerned about China's values. It is essential that people blessed with freedom of speech tell the Chinese Communist Party it is time for change. Chinese activists like Liu have sacrificed so much for a country they truly love, only to be imprisoned and seen as traitors. Not everyone in China just wants to earn money; some people are willing to speak up. I look forward to the day when Liu can once again be a free man and becomes recognized as a hero by the Chinese government and its people.
Christy Wong, HONG KONG

It occurs to me that the Norwegian Nobel Committee has unnecessarily overpoliticized the Peace Prize. By awarding it to someone who has hardly worked on bringing about peace to any nation or region, it becomes a mockery to the original intentions of Alfred Nobel. If no person was deemed truly qualified for the award, it might have been better to just suspend it for the year.
Lu-sou Phu, SHANGHAI

Italy's Youth Exodus
When I read "Arrivederci Italia" [Oct. 18], about young Italians choosing to find fulfilling careers abroad, I felt relieved and sad at the same time. Relieved because I felt less guilty for leaving my beautiful country to live a comfortable life abroad, but sad because my leaving Italy was part of a general youth problem. What you write is sadly true. To get a job in Italy you need connections. For me, like a lot of well-educated young Italians, it was impossible to find a chance there. My father was a qualified worker and my mother was a teacher, and they made every effort to get me a good education. The result: with a master's degree in management and a degree in Chinese, I was obliged to leave my country to find a good life in China and then in France. I hope that one day my kids, half French and half Italian, will be able to live in Italy and to find the happiness that I could not find in my own country.
Emanuela Mastropasqua, PARIS

I am a 33-year-old engineer from Florence who has been living in Brussels for two years, and I fully agree with every single word of "Arrivederci Italia." Until the gerontocracy culture ends in Italian society, the best young minds will continue looking for a better life abroad, where ability and merit mean something.
Ingrid Ciabatti, BRUSSELS

Joy for the World
The Moment item on the rescue of the Chilean miners is a riveting account of the triumph of the human spirit [Oct. 25]. It's a telling testament to the time-tested truism: man doesn't let his own kind down in his darkest dilemma. This mining-disaster saga is not only a toast to the Chileans; it's a victory for the whole human race.
Mario H. Casuga, ROYAL PALM BEACH, FLA., U.S.

My eyes stayed glued to the computer screen as the Chile rescue mission was broadcast live online, welling up each time a miner was brought up to the surface. It was definitely my Apollo moment.
Tetsuro Umeji, KUDAMATSU, JAPAN

Losing My Religion
Joel Stein's Oct. 25 Awesome Column, "Tax and Spend," has managed to settle once and for all the theological question that has plagued humanity for centuries. After reading that Stein makes $288,115 a year, I now realize that there is no God.
Trevor Robinson, CARY, N.C., U.S.

Kudos to Stein for making it clear that the part of the Bush tax cuts that the Administration wishes to let lapse is on taxable income not gross income that exceeds $250,000 for a family. I cringe every time I hear from either side that this affects everyone making over $250,000, no caveats included. I believe that many would rethink their opposition to the proposals if this distinction were made more clearly.
Irving Codron, LOS ANGELES