LETTERS

DIET-PILL MANIA

"Redux is just a way for pharmaceutical companies to make money and for fat, lazy slobs to avoid eating right and exercising." CHRIS KELLY Stamford, Connecticut

Kudos to the developers of Redux and other obesity miracle drugs [HEALTH, Sept. 23]. Nonetheless, drugs they are, with side effects and limited usefulness. They are drastic solutions to avoidable problems. The real way to escape being overweight is prevention. Walk, run, bike, swim or row for half an hour a day and eat a proper diet. Live like a marathoner, and you'll look like one. JAY WIND Arlington, Virginia

As a 56-year-old with adult-onset diabetes who weighed 90 lbs. more than recommended, I was given a prescription for Redux. The side effects were almost unbearable. I could not walk straight because of dizziness, I could not concentrate at work and I was lethargic to the point of being almost immobile. After 10 days of taking the drug, I stopped. My physician has now prescribed another diet drug you mentioned, fen/phen, and I have experienced no side effects. I strongly suggest that anyone for whom Redux has been prescribed start by ordering only a small supply, and stop taking it if any side effects appear. ARTHUR F. POLLYEA Los Angeles

Justification for the widespread pre-scription of Redux is based on the contention that any of the documented risks are far outweighed by potential benefits. But any couch potato can lose 5 lbs. and keep them off by becoming more active physically and eating a healthy diet--without the use of drugs. So is Redux really about health, or is it about money? With sales of the product expected to reach $1 billion in five years, I guess we know the answer. GLENN A. GAESSER, Associate Professor Exercise Physiology University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Via E-mail

Contrary to your cover story on Redux, Jenny Craig Inc. is not "scrambling" to add this medication to our weight-management program. We anticipated the use of Redux as an adjunct to our program long before the medication gained approval from an FDA advisory committee in 1995. When Redux became available to the public in July 1996, we immediately began testing a companion program for those clients who qualify and wish to utilize weight-loss medications. As noted in your article, this type of medication is not a magic remedy for obesity; however, such drugs can help people lose weight and keep it off if use of the drugs is combined with a reduced-calorie food plan, regular exercise and behavior modification. Pills alone do not create a healthy life-style. C. JOSEPH LABONTE, President and Chief Executive Officer Jenny Craig Inc. Del Mar, California

What will be next? a pill that will enable us to take 20 years off our age? LINH-DA RONNING Hacienda Heights, California

It never ceases to amaze me how much medication or surgery a person will endure in order to avoid a modicum of self-restraint at the dinner table. Drugs like Redux do not treat the indolence and self-pity that are the true causes of our obesity and poor health. KEVIN RUMON Atherton, California Via E-mail

Your report underlined two major problems in Western society: we fail to take responsibility for our own acts, and we continually get ourselves into difficult situations and look to someone else for a solution. Drug abuse will be with us as long as we adults teach by example that every problem can be resolved by putting another capsule into our mouths. Everything--from minor headaches to boredom and from stress to fatigue--comes under this heading. Is it any wonder that teenagers follow our example? (The Rev) JOHN LEESE Bivange, Luxembourg

In his first-person account of taking Redux, Jeffrey Ressner admitted he was not an ideal candidate for the drug but talked his doctor into prescribing it, did not complete the course of treatment before offering his conclusions and failed to note the obvious cause of at least part of his weight loss: his consumption of chopped salads and grilled vegetables instead of French fries and pasta. If Ressner was going to be a guinea pig, why not go whole hog? Give us a week-by-week report on his progress on Redux, including the inevitable weight-loss slowdown and frustration. Then record his experiences post-Redux: tracking his dying brain cells (as was mentioned in the main article) and gradually regaining his lost weight, plus 10 lbs. (as usually happens to any dieter). As it stands, most readers will remember only that Ressner lost 5 lbs. in a week, and will be tempted to coax Redux from their own physicians. As a health writer, I was disturbed by this irresponsible and unscientific reporting. TIME has succeeded in feeding the seemingly insatiable appetite for get-slim-quick schemes that succeed only in fattening the bank accounts of diet "doctors" and diet-potion manufacturers as Americans get plumper than ever. CHERYL SOLIMINI Milford, Pennsylvania Via E-mail

Your choice of body type for your cover photograph perpetuates the message that svelte sells. That slim, shapely body needs no Redux. My challenge: exhibit a "before" body, not an "after" one. And it should not be one held in by spandex or waiting to exhale. Make a statement. Be bold. Sacrifice the visually attractive for the normal, average, real. Were you afraid that a before shot might impact your newsstand sales "figures"? CAROL SIMONSON San Diego

It is very disturbing to learn that the FDA approves products like Redux that can harm an individual's health. It appears that the medical profession and pharmaceutical companies are interested only in fleecing America. What happened to integrity and caring? CAROL CASE Body Management System Edmonton, Alberta

Our society's thin-at-all-costs attitude has consumers spending tons of money on useless diet fads in order to attain an impossible body. It's not until readers get a few paragraphs into your article that they learn Redux has very serious possible side effects and is intended for patients whose lives are threatened by severe obesity. Readers need responsible coverage of the issues. MICHELE BARRY Arlington, Massachusetts Via E-mail

I'm sick of people insinuating that Americans are overweight because they're lazy. Europeans don't stay thin by exercising three times a week or by eating nonfat foods. They stay thin by living active lives. The U.S. is designed around cars, not pedestrians or bicycles, and until that changes, Americans will continue to be fat. APRIL BALOG Hamburg, Germany

CHURCH AND STATE

Re the debate over the use of educational vouchers to pay for private schooling [NATION, Sept. 23]: Why should public money go to private and parochial schools? Isn't the point of private education that it's paid for privately? I attend a public high school, so why should my parents pay for some other student to go to private school? Their taxes should go to the public school system and should support my learning. TINA KIM Torrance, California

From first through eighth grades, I went to a Roman Catholic school, and then to a public high school. I feel that taxpayer money would be more wisely spent if we focused on making public schools more livable. A lot of public schools need serious help in either renovating or expanding. Improvements would enable public schools to compete with private ones. If a family wants to send a child to a private school, that is fine, but let them pay for it; my parents did. The government needs to direct its attention to making the public schools worth going to. DONIELLE SAXTON Littleton, Colorado Via E-mail

Your analysis of the excellence of Catholic schools was right on target--almost. But even you succumbed to the most enduring myth of Catholic education: that we expel our problems and therefore artificially ratchet up our superior performance levels. Studies have found statistically what any parochial-school teacher will tell you anecdotally: the truth is exactly the opposite. Children with academic and discipline problems are more often transferred from public to Catholic schools than the other way around. We all know the student who has been punished--sent to a Catholic school by parents who see it as a last resort for their difficult boy or girl in terms of discipline, standards and academics. Fortunately, we know that problem student to have been turned around. PATRICIA B. DEMETRIO Pine Brook, New Jersey

Having taught in both private and public schools, I have found that public schools are not run under the same rules as private ones. This was pointed out at the very end of your article, and it is the central issue in public schools today. Until everyone realizes that the people who teach in public schools do so out of a sense of dedication, with both hands tied behind their back, the situation won't improve, regardless of what money is spent and what rules are imposed on teachers and administrators. LINDA DEBBAN Woodbridge, Virginia

HAIL TO THE NUNS

Margaret Carlson's "Hail, Mary and Regina," in praise of the education she got from Catholic nuns [PUBLIC EYE, Sept. 23], said it all, and so very well. Hail to the nuns; their finished product is the proof of their excellence. DOLORES LYONS New Port Richey, Florida

Mother Marita Joseph must have been horrified to read Carlson's well-intentioned thanks in her fantasy acceptance speech expressing gratitude for a remembered spelling lesson in "never putting i before e except after c, and so much more." I learned from the Ursuline nuns always to put i before e, except after c, or when sounded like a as in neighbor and weigh. ABIGAIL LEWIS, Editor in Chief Whole Life Times Malibu, California

I was educated by the great nuns of the Immaculate Heart of Mary for eight years and served as an altar boy in Philadelphia. We had our ears boxed for doing wrong and wouldn't tell our parents for fear of being punished again. Our whole family was afraid of the nuns, and their "look" was enough to scare you. Too bad the system that worked for us and our parents has passed into history. FRANK D. KRENSLAK Cherry Hill, New Jersey

CHOATE'S RECORD

Your article about Ross Perot's choosing me as his running mate [NATION, Sept. 23] distorted the description of my prior work. You wrote that after I left my position as Tennessee's commissioner of economic and community development, a state audit found that my "office had spent extravagantly (on staff trips and entertainment) and had 'completely violated' laws regarding competitive bidding." You go on to say I was never formally charged. To clarify the record, it was I who fired two employees--one for filing a false travel-expense report and the other for a false entertainment report. And it was those employees who were never charged by Tennessee authorities. The audit committee of the Tennessee development board reviewed this and other administrative matters and fully endorsed my actions. PAT CHOATE Washington

TAILOR-MADE FAVORS

I've often heard that politicians make favorable deals for corporate supporters, but reading about specific actions by Bob Dole in your article "The Corporate Dole" brought home the realities of this egregious practice [NATION, Sept. 23]. The millions and billions of dollars these corporations save in taxes are coming out of our pockets; yet the politicians and of course the corporations claim that welfare and other social programs are responsible for our national woes. Why don't we hear more in the mainstream media about these atrocities? It might wake up a few more people so they would do something about the situation. Perhaps it is because the media share in the fruits of this corporate welfare. JANET ZAMPIERI Oakland, California

When asked to defend why he was raising revenue by levying a new tax on the use of lavatories in ancient Rome, Emperor Vespasian smugly replied, "Money has no smell." In spite of the unpopularity of this measure, no one could possibly see an ethical conflict in the Emperor's edict. But the reported private favors of "The Corporate Dole" are of a different nature. Unless the Republicans can show in each of the reported cases that the public at large benefited from the privileges granted to private enterprise, these transactions look blatantly unethical, and the monies involved have a foul smell. When the Christian Coalition supports the party and the candidate and strenuously advocates the safeguarding of "values," one may be justifiably disgusted at the whole political process. SOLOMON BENZIMRA Toronto Via E-mail

DEATH OF A GANGSTA RAPPER

The shooting of rap-music star Tupac Shakur should not be viewed as a tragedy [NATION, Sept. 23]. Although it is unfortunate that one more person has fallen victim to gang violence, Shakur was no more important than the thousands of others who die from such violence every year. Music like his has contributed to America's violent gang culture. Gang members are finally reaping what they have sown. Shakur's death only serves as proof that he was not in fact an artist. Art has positive social aspects, which are badly missing from gangsta rap. DAVID FABRYCKY Wheaton, Illinois Via E-mail

I hope the events surrounding the death of Shakur will provide a powerful lesson for younger Americans who participate in gang rivalry and activity. Time after time, parents, police and volunteers warn youngsters about the dangers of getting involved in gangs. Maybe with this tragic event, young people will see for themselves that even martyrs such as "2pac" are not immortal. If hate and rivalry are what the "California Love" of his recording is all about, I don't want any part of it. DEREK GALLARDO Colorado Springs, Colorado

TEENAGE LOVE TRIANGLE

I've never been so sickened as I was after reading your article about the murder of 16-year-old Adrianne Jones by two Texas classmates who were romantically involved [CRIME, Sept. 23]. Why wasn't David Graham immediately suspected by the police, especially since Graham picked up Jones (presumably at her home) to go out on a date the night of her murder? Jones must have told someone what her plans were that horrible evening. Certainly somebody, a parent, classmate or neighbor, must have seen Graham pick up Jones. Why did it take a lucky and foolish dorm-room confession by Graham's accomplice and girlfriend, Diane Zamora, nearly nine months later to bring about the arrest of this nefarious pair? The teenage couple knew precisely what they were doing. This is a blatant case of premeditated murder. If ever there was an argument in favor of capital punishment, this is it. TOM CARDELLO Mayfield Heights, Ohio Via E-mail

As a 15-year-old, I was particularly dismayed by your report on the murder of Adrianne Jones. I find it inconceivable that Jones should have been murdered simply because she went out with another girl's boyfriend. That Jones' cold-blooded murder could have been perpetrated by two young, outstanding pupils like Graham and Zamora leads to questions about the American system that breeds such individuals. At least our system in Singapore, condemned by many for its excessive restrictiveness, does not promote such a supreme disregard for human life. SUBATHIRAI SIVAKUMARAN Singapore

ACTIONS AGAINST IRAQ

The American cruise-missile strikes on the Iraqi military establishments were as abrupt as they were bizarre [WORLD, Sept. 23]. Those of us in other parts of the world are left only with the perception of a trigger-happy U.S. Despite a plausible semblance of unity, Western Europe and Japan are at a loss about how to react. The reference to the U.N. resolutions is mere rhetoric, a fig leaf to cover what lies behind election politics. This charade demonstrates that Clinton is not a true world leader. YASUO HORI Matsudamachi, Japan

Nothing illustrates the callous U.S. disregard of fellow humans' dignity and values more than the new aggression against Iraq. The U.S. had no justification under any of the several U.N. resolutions. It is significant that America's staunch Arab allies like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait did not permit their territory to be used for unleashing missile attacks on Iraq. It is amazing that the world community does not give a thought to the plight of the civilian Iraqi population. VARGHESE POOVAKKATTU Herne, Germany

THE NATURE OF BEAUTY

As an Italian American who lived in Italy 10 years, I found the selection of a black Miss Italy very promising [PEOPLE, Sept. 23]. The Italians are setting an important example for others. They appreciate beauty independent of skin color. But the choice remains controversial. Half the Italians believe that the winner should represent them as a people and embody nearly 3,000 years of history, culture and tradition that are unique. Others believe differently. But Italy, as a modern republic, is composed of many different people. Since this is the case, the representative of the country's beauty could be any color on earth. STEPHEN R. RIBAUDO South Bend, Indiana

MORE UNSOLVED MYSTERIES

After reading your review of Paul Horgan's controversial book The End of Science [IDEAS, Sept. 9], I've come up with some additions to the list of science's "unsolved mysteries." The creation of the universe is attributed to the Big Bang, but where did the superdense mass that existed before the bang come from? Also, it has taken thousands of years for modern man to develop the computer. What took so long? Is today's high-tech engineer of a higher mental capacity than Aristotle, who, as you say, couldn't have conceived of the Hubble Space Telescope? Why? Perhaps we are governed by some extracelestial bodies that have a different time concept. Maybe for them 1,000 Earth years make up only one year or even a mere day. JOSEPH KON Tel Aviv

REMAKING OF SAMBO

If we are going to be politically correct in the resuscitation of the children's classic The Story of Little Black Sambo [BOOKS, Sept. 9], let's at least get the facts correct. Anyone who has ever read the original Sambo story knows it has nothing to do with Africa, but was set in India. For one thing, wild tigers are not found in Africa; they exist only in Asia. Also, Africans are not the only black people in the world. The dark-skinned folk in the story have characteristics similar to those of an ethnic group in southern India. To assume that the story is set in Africa shows that people really don't know much about Africa. MARCIA POLAND Laurel, Maryland

What the move to bring back Sambo unhappily reveals is that we have less sophistication as adults than we did as children. But happily the original version of the story is still obtainable. I intend to order mine right away, before the book burning begins. AUSTIN MASON Little Sioux, Iowa

NOT NECESSARILY GOOD NEWS

Readers are informed in your Health Report [NOTEBOOK, Sept. 23] under the heading "Good News" that a cancer drug that stops the rapid cell division of the embryo is to be tested on 3,000 U.S. women as "a nonsurgical approach to abortion." This is good news? For whom? Not the unborn. JIM MALIA Totland Bay, Isle of Wight, England

SATELLITES WITH A WEATHER EYE

I read with interest the article "High over the Eye" about satellite images of hurricanes [WEATHER, Sept. 16], but I was concerned that it might mislead readers to think the geostationary weather satellites, goes-8 and goes-9, are operated by nasa. This is not the case. These satellites are operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And while it is true that there are only two geostationary weather satellites keeping watch over the U.S, this is not a cause for concern. Indeed, the system is designed that way.

The normal configuration of our weather satellites is two geostationary satellites and two polar-orbiting satellites. noaa is the only federal agency that can issue weather watches and warnings. It works closely with state and local emergency managers to accomplish its weather mission. PATRICIA W. VIETS, Public Affairs Officer National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Washington