Letters

ARTISTS AND ENTERTAINERS OF THE 20TH CENTURY

"If you wanted readers to ask, 'Where's what's his name? Why was he omitted?,' you succeeded beyond your wildest dreams." PEG DUNGAN Clio, Iowa

Of course, the selection of the top 20 artists and entertainers of the century [TIME 100, June 8] was a harder choice than that of the top leaders and revolutionaries. There have been so many influential creative people in this amazing century. What is certain is that the 20 who did make your list, along with the runners-up, all left an indelible mark on our world. GRAHAM TUCKER Kiama, Australia

There was a fundamental flaw in your selection process. By beginning your search for the 100 with neat categories and subcategories, you oversimplified a complicated century and avoided the most interesting debates. For example, by allowing room for only one writer and one visual artist, you begged the questions, Are writers and artists equally influential? Is a TV host as important? Could there be a second writer whose influence outweighs, say, Bart Simpson, your choice as cartoon character? You effortlessly sidestepped these questions. And so again an interesting idea is dumbed down for an impatient society. PETER MARTINO Roxbury, Conn.

Your cover art says it all: the decline of the West. GEORGE HAMILTON North Vancouver, B.C.

I was particularly impressed by the profile of "the Queen of Soul," Aretha Franklin. You explored her legendary career in depth and noted her ties to gospel music. Not to disparage the excellent essay on black female blues singers, I do have one quibble. The true liberators of black female singers were the great gospel women. Their vocal and physical expressions were a potent, yet separate, part of the patriarchal church. Mahalia Jackson once said, "Anybody singing the blues is in a deep pit yelling for help." And she also commented, "Gospel music is nothing but singing of good tidings--spreading the good news. It will last as long as any music because it is sung straight from the human heart." Isn't that the essence of Aretha Franklin even to this day? WAYNE TRUJILLO Lakewood, Colo.

A wonderful, ironic commentary on the quality of American culture. R. TIMOTHY O'SULLIVAN Rialto, Calif.

Your selections were tilted toward the second half of the 20th century. Radio and its influence should have been given more prominence. It was one of the century's major sources of entertainment and reigned for 30 years. Without radio, there would have been no TV. Radio first brought to prominence Jack Benny, Amos and Andy, Ozzie and Harriet, Bing Crosby, Benny Goodman, Lucille Ball and Edward R. Murrow--not to mention the creation of the soap opera, newscast, quiz show, talk show, domestic comedy and live sportscast. Not bad for one little medium. GERALD NACHMAN San Francisco

Why did you include that trite, tiresome hoax of the nonexistent "versatile artist" Cranford Glimp? It was demeaning to the genuine achievers you profiled and insulting to your readers. ROBERT BRIDGES Houston

You made very biased and disputable choices. It seems that with few exceptions, only Anglo-Saxons counted. PIERLUIGI SANGIOVANNI Milan, Italy

I was disappointed to see so little attention given to composer George Gershwin. It is no accident that some people call him the American Mozart. He, like Mozart, made high art out of a commonplace style of composing and performing music. Art that has staying power can come from unlikely origins. PETER KNUDSVIG Hof, Germany

Steven Spielberg can be counted as perhaps the most popular moviemaker of all time, but he is not necessarily the most influential. None of his movies has revolutionized the cinematic language as did the films of D.W. Griffith, Sergei Eisenstein, Orson Welles, Federico Fellini and Jean-Luc Godard. Spielberg's influence has been detrimental, spawning a generation of moviemakers who produce only high-tech, infantile retreads of old movies and TV shows. JACINTO SOTTO Makati City, the Philippines

BART SIMPSON!

I was shocked at the selection of Bart Simpson as the cartoon character of the century [TIME 100, June 8]. Though an unfortunately large number of people watch his TV show, his character is a parent's worst nightmare. You should apologize for selecting him. DAVID GREPE Mexico City

I missed the cartoon characters Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Charles Schulz's creations, from their modest beginnings through their phenomenal growth and complexities, revolutionized the panel strip and changed forever the nature of what can be said with simple, funny squiggles. There would be no Bart Simpson if not for Charlie Brown. ELAN FLEISHER London

AND WHAT ABOUT...?

Where was J.D. Salinger on your list of the century's most influential writers [TIME 100, June 8]? Salinger is one of the few authors who have been able to connect with American teenagers from the 1950s to today. The Catcher in the Rye has been a rite of passage for every generation of the past 40 years. I was greatly disappointed by the omission. CASEY SCHWARTZ, 15 New York City

What about giving full coverage to actresses Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Ingrid Bergman and Sigourney Weaver? JULIE HARTY San Francisco

There should have been more than a mere mention of John Steinbeck. And why nothing about Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein? DAVID W. DAVIDSON Bethesda, Md.

Where is a prominent, full discussion of country music? No Hank Williams? Not to mention (and you didn't) Roy Acuff, Bill Monroe, Ernest Tubb, Kitty Wells, Lefty Frizzell, Flatt & Scruggs, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Bob Wills, Merle Haggard... "COUSIN LYNN" JOINER, Co-Host Hillbilly at Harvard, WHRB-FM Cambridge, Mass.

There was no category to take note of enduring pop and folk groups, like the Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary, that cut across musical boundaries. LENORE HUTTON Normal, Ill.

In the jazz-musician group, your runners-up include Wynton Marsalis, but he can in no way match Dizzy Gillespie or Thelonious Monk, who changed the form of jazz during the 1940s. BO FORSLIND Stockholm

It is a pity that great names in music like Bela Bartok, Benjamin Britten, Arturo Toscanini, Wilhelm Furtwangler and Eugene Ormandy were not mentioned. THOMAS HORVATH Buenos Aires

You omitted poets Carl Sandburg and e.e. cummings. ELIZABETH BENNETT Ballston Spa, N.Y.

Among writers, you forgot Doris Lessing, Nadine Gordimer and the two great Marguerites, Duras and Yourcenar. FRANCOISE HRADSKY Bethesda, Md.

You barely mentioned W.C. Fields and had nothing on Laurel and Hardy. These men were without equal in bringing art into comedy! ROLAND LAYTON Lewisburg, W.Va.

RUSSIA'S SHAKY ECONOMY

Before the U.S. grants any substantial economic relief to Russia [WORLD, June 8], that country should be compelled to make political and economic peace with its neighbors. Its financial woes are due in large part to its refusal to cooperate with former satellites and republics as equal partners. Instead of trading with the satellites and republics on even terms, Russia is forever trying to force its will on them. It recklessly boycotts all those that don't comply, and the result is greater damage to the Russian economy than to the intended victims. A good example is the recent propaganda attack on Latvia and the accompanying boycott of Latvian goods. The real reason for the action was Russia's desire to control the oil pipeline passing through Latvia. ANDREJS BAIDINS Wilmington, Del.

CONFUSION OVER NUKES

It is surprising that India and Pakistan are not being severely punished for exploding their nuclear devices [WORLD, June 8]. The gravest threat of nuclear war is shaping up in South Asia without the international community's working together to try to prevent it. India's government is even winning applause at home from those who confuse military might with self-esteem. MOHAMMED ABDULLAH Lawrenceville, N.J.

The nuclear tests set off by India and Pakistan are like violent acts by children. Most of the time, immature youngsters cannot reason, and when told no, they respond, "No one is going to tell me I can't!" or "I'll show them!" So we have little boys and juvenile adults playing with real weapons and with the very existence of life. MARY S. BAHR Pikesville, Md.

THAT CHAT WITH KOKO

Your item about the America Online chat with Koko, the gorilla who communicates through sign language, purported to be a "partial transcript" of Koko's chat, in which I helped to relay her signed responses [NOTEBOOK, May 11]. First of all, the headline LOVE DRINK NIPPLE FAKE was made up by TIME and was not a quote from Koko. Your piece, which impugned my veracity, included a supposed "transcript" that contained deceptive inaccuracies. You lifted selected phrases from the transcript, rearranged them and presented them as if they were verbatim conversation. Operating on "gorilla time" rather than Internet chat time, Koko was often still responding to earlier topics when the fast-paced chat had already moved on to new ones. If you want to express an opinion about our work in interspecies communication, that is your right, but your so-called transcript, with selected quotes and the omission of many lines of dialogue that provided context, deceived readers and was just plain bad journalism. Your readers can find a full transcript of the AOL chat with Koko at www.gorilla.org FRANCINE PATTERSON, Ph.D. President and Director of Research Gorilla Foundation Woodside, Calif.

TIME did not intend to attack Dr. Patterson's veracity and regrets any misunderstanding that may have arisen from the publication of this item.

MICROSOFT'S WOES

I used to think the government should stay out of Microsoft's business and let the users ultimately decide. But after reading your article on the upcoming antitrust action [TECHNOLOGY, June 1], I have to agree that the Justice Department makes some very good points. I am thankful there is a dominant operating system for PCs. But to use that system to force me to use certain programs, as Microsoft is attempting to do, is just plain wrong. BENJAMIN F. HAFER Hilo, Hawaii

Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a pathway to your doorstep--soon to be followed by the antitrust division of the Justice Department. Just ask Bill Gates! BILL DUNNING Carrollton, Texas

A TRUE AMERICAN HERO

I had never heard of Juan Romero, the Hispanic busboy who tried to assist Robert Kennedy after he was shot in 1968 [AMERICAN SCENE, June 8]. What an extraordinary story, and what a wonderful attitude Romero has! I'm 17, the same age as Romero was when he crouched next to Kennedy's wounded body. I find myself wondering what I will be like 30 years from now. Will I be like Romero, still following a code that honors Kennedy by embracing hard work, revering God, taking care of my family and living a life of tolerance and compassion? Where does white America get its stereotypes of immigrants? I think Romero has served Robert Kennedy's memory as well as anyone could ever hope to, and he stands for something that Kennedy would be proud of. JULIE ANNE PORTER Oklahoma City, Okla.

WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

Thanks so much for "The Joy of Not Cooking," about the popularity of store-bought, ready-to-eat food [BUSINESS, June 1]. I will never again feel that twinge of guilt for picking up a complete meal for my family at the local shop. I am a single mother of two children, and it's bad enough that my commute to work is one hour each way. If I do decide to play Betty Crocker during the week, my kids don't eat until 8 at night. That creates more guilt for not having them in bed at a decent hour. I just hope things improve by the time my grandchildren are asking, What's for dinner? KATHY MCCORMICK Thomaston, Ga.

I worship the culinary gods. Serving my man a "home-meal replacement" is right up there with replacing me with a plastic inflatable doll! I am just as stressed out as any other working mom, but I take pride in what I put on the table, made by me. Serving food from a box is nothing to be proud of! NANNETTE LAREE HERNANDEZ Yuma, Ariz.

If I were dumb enough to pay $400 for a 12-course, store-bought Thanksgiving dinner, as the couple you cited did, I certainly wouldn't admit it. MAE GARDNER Albuquerque, N.M.

FINDING SPIRITUAL ANSWERS

The Chicken Soup for the Soul series of uplifting books makes no pretense of literary excellence [SOCIETY, June 8], and I make no defense of the books' contents. The series' popularity, however, seems to show a great hunger for hope in our society. Could it be that readers of these books are not finding answers in their churches, temples, synagogues and mosques, much less in their daily lives? Your parting shot, "Uplift without morals, spirituality without religion--it's the perfect faith for the postmodern '90s," was arrogant. Is religion (organized, I presume?) the only means by which one may find either high moral character or spirituality? KERIN FORSYTH Baltimore, Md.

The fact that 28 million Chicken Soup books have been sold is not just a "publishing phenomenon"; it shows that the American public is sick of having gore and mayhem shoved down its throat by the media. The Chicken Soup series creates an alternative to the usual media fare. We offer hope where there is despair, comfort where there is pain, tears and laughter instead of sarcasm and snide remarks, and inspiration to help our readers overcome the challenges they face. It's correct that our stories do not moralize, but it is wrong to say they provide "uplift without morals." PATTY HANSEN, Co-Author Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul Newport Beach, Calif.