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What American journalists did not do in analyzing the events that propelled their country into deep conflicts at home and abroad, they have started to do now. Things went wrong in large part because the press has not done its job well. Now, as the U.S. gets mired in Iraq and is becoming increasingly unpopular in the world, journalists who should have done some serious investigative work five years ago are playing catch-up.
JAVED AKBAR
Markham, Ont.
In Memoriam
After reading the "Farewell" section [Dec. 25, 2006--Jan. 1, 2007], I would like to suggest that next time around you include the loss of infamous notables, like Yugoslav strongman Slobodan Milosevic and al-Qaeda's Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi, in a separate section titled "Good Riddance."
LARRY PECK
Chester, Va.
Sports Shorts
Re your list of the "10 Best Sports Moments" [Dec. 25, 2006--Jan. 1, 2007]: Major League Baseball holds a small contest between two teams each year around the end of October. Perhaps TIME has heard of it. It's called the World Series. This year it was won by the underdog St. Louis Cardinals. I find it hard to believe that the incessant ball hogging of the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant was anywhere near the achievements made in the postseason by the Redbirds in their first year in the new Busch Stadium. Not only that, but Tony LaRussa managed circles around his longtime friend and protégé, the Detroit Tigers' Jim Leyland. So Bryant scored 81 points in a game, big deal. How many times did he pass the ball?
BRANDON ELDRIDGE
Sikeston, Mo.
I was shocked that you put international soccer star Zinédine Zidane on your list of people who earned their 15 minutes of fame. Zidane is in a completely different category. He may have had his 15 minutes of fame in the U.S., but in the rest of the world, he is revered, loved and considered one of the greatest soccer players of his generation. You also incorrectly assumed that this caused headaches for the French, which is anything but true. The people of France still think him a hero.
DIAN XIAO
Harleysville, Pa.