(2 of 3)
Thomas C. Rizzo Jr., LARGO, FLA.
Your article reminded me of something I have thought about for many years. The political ads in which a candidate keeps repeating an opponent's name continually while listing all his negatives provides free advertising to the opposing candidate. The repetition grants name recognition to the wrong person. I believe it has the opposite effect of the one intended.
Sheila Laiks, PARSIPPANY, N.J.
Enough Is Enough
I agree with Michelle Obama: let's stop asking whether Barack Obama is "black enough" [Aug. 27]. I don't know why in the 21st century many of us are still fixated on race--or gender, for the matter. Let's concentrate on the real issues, such as Iraq, affordable health care, balancing the budget and fixing Social Security. Let's also celebrate the exciting field of candidates we have on both sides for a change.
Kurt Felts, BLOOMINGTON, IND.
What a great question: is Barack Obama black enough? I also want to know, Are the rest of the candidates white enough? Is Hillary woman enough?
Charlie Kearns, ZANESVILLE, OHIO
Broad Appeal
I'm a 15-year-old, and Zac Efron's face immediately grabbed my attention [Aug. 27]. James Poniewozik's description of the Disney Channel's High School Musical was accurate. It's a Disney movie that every kid loves, with its inspiring message to follow your dreams. I tuned in to watch the sequel, High School Musical 2, and while I again sang along with the musical numbers, I felt disappointed at the end. Unlike in the original, Efron's character, Troy, was willing to sacrifice his promising future just because his teammates and girlfriend became a little jealous of his newfound success. Disney could send a more consistent message, especially considering its influence on young, impressionable minds.
Abha Gallewale, LEXINGTON, MASS.
Thank you for your article on teen heartthrob Zac Efron. I recently became a big fan of his after seeing his performance in Hairspray. He is extremely talented and very sexy yet wholesome. I haven't been this excited about a celebrity in a long time. And he isn't just for the tweens and teens. I happen to be a 41-year-old mother of two boys.
Amanda Posito, CHATSWORTH, CALIF.
All the News That Was Fit to Fake
I am happy to see that such a highbrow publication deigned to write about the passing of the Weekly World News, a tabloid that will truly be missed by individuals stuck in the checkout line [Aug. 27]. But I disagree with Joel Stein's claim that it's "a sign of progress for a society to go from inventing gods and monsters to seeking catharsis in the real life of Paris Hilton." That's as laughable as Bat Boy running for President. The Weekly World News lost readers because people turned to the Internet. Instead of waiting for a weekly paper to suspend disbelief, they write blogs, generate websites and post videos on YouTube to publicize their ignorance. You will never convince me that reading about Paris Hilton is progress.
Vicki E. Green, FULLERTON, CALIF.
Kudos to Stein, with a shared sigh of relief, for his farewell to the Weekly World News. One can only hope that its demise does in fact signal the decline of American credulity and not just a shift to other fairy tales still told in churches, mosques and temples across the country.
Jonathan Chong, COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.
Old-Fashioned Romantics
I absolutely loved Belinda Luscombe's "Who Killed the Love Story?" [Aug. 20]. She expressed exactly how I feel about today's cinema. I am a 20-year-old college student with a passion for the movies, especially the classics. I work at a movie theater as my summer job, so I get to see the majority of blockbusters, and rarely am I hit with a new idea, something that makes me dream and sigh right in the middle of a mouthful of popcorn. Like the women quoted in the article, I have turned to the classics to fulfill my need for good, honest romance, be it far-fetched or not. I do hope that somehow Hollywood will come up with ways to appeal to the masses once again, not just to the guys who need bathroom jokes to think a "chick flick" is worthwhile.
Meg Herrick, MUNCIE, IND.
Love has been a fascination of mine since I was old enough to have an idea what it's about. It's a shame that the movie people are having a hard time selling love. It's ridiculous that they can't think of good stories. Stop the first 10 people on the street, and I guarantee they will each tell a fresh, interesting love story. Heck, I have one, and I'm only 19! Instead of moviemakers complaining that no one believes the sex and kisses they are dishing out, they should start with something real and place it in an interesting and marketable setting. I just don't want to see anyone give up on love yet. Call me an old-fashioned romantic.
Sonja Rechelle Allen SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT.
LETTER FROM A STUDENT
SKIPPING CLASSES
Re your article about "a new model for gifted education" [Aug. 27]: I am a student of the Early Entrance Program (EEP) at California State University, Los Angeles, which takes grade skipping to its extreme by allowing young students early entrance to college. Students here begin taking full-time college classes at age 14, though our youngest student was 9. Every student is radically accelerated, usually skipping all of high school. The program provides academic support as well as a social framework that connects us with like-minded students. While other early-college-entrance programs exist, none have the social support of EEP, leaving gifted students isolated from both their peers and adults at their university. Julian Bouzanquet, ROSEMEAD, CALIF.
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
The Aug. 27 piece on the spate of merchandise commemorating the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death erroneously reported that he lived to the age of 46. He was 42 when he died.
FROM OUR STAFF
The mountain village of Yole was a bleak place until a giant, broken clipper ship mysteriously appeared in the town's little lake. How it got there and what would happen if the people of Yole rebuilt it are the secrets at the center of the novel Nacky Patcher and the Curse of the Dry-Land Boats, by TIME senior editor Jeffrey Kluger. Author of several other books including the best seller Apollo 13, Kluger is making his first venture into young-adult fiction. Publishers Weekly calls the book "a fully imagined fantasy with a twist of magic."