I was impressed by your article “The New Digital Galaxy,” on the next technological revolution (Society & The Arts, May 31). However, I was terrified. Apparently this is the end of privacy. Considering how easy it is to access information on the Internet, I would not want a machine to know about my private life and my preferences. If producers know what products we use and prefer, it limits our everyday-life choices. When machines monitor our lives, they will function as windows to our minds–accessible to everybody. Andrea Legorreta Mestre Mexico City, Mexico

Your home of the future was impressive. Sadly, however, I noticed from the array of gardening tools hanging at the ready between the smart office and the smart vehicle, we will still have to go outside and rake leaves by hand in the new millennium. Wait a minute; maybe that’s a good thing. Jason Wacha San Carlos, California

I’m intrigued, amused and, yes, tempted by the possibilities for pervasive computing described in your article. However, you tend to feature and promote technology with the intent of feeding America’s affluent, extremely individualistic lifestyle. Why are we getting excited about developing technology that allows us to check e-mail in the car when we have yet to figure out how to distribute food and resources in a way that helps the 1.5 billion people living in poverty? Chris Hardie Richmond, Indiana

The only technological gadget I desire is one that will take us reactionaries back a few decades. We want something we can never have, the relative peace and quiet along with the slower pace of days gone by. Inventors, please hurry. I just can’t wait to get out of the ’90s and what appears to be coming to our planet in the next century. L. W. Minor Groton, New York

I just read your cover story on the next wave of high technology. I have been a daily Internet user for four years, and yet I don’t want the Net emanating from every pore in my house. I don’t want my refrigerator to order food for me, or a computer in my toilet to examine my stool and talk to other computers about it behind my back. My life needs less technology, not more. Mark Asbury San Francisco, California

Advances in technology have given us many tools that put vast quantities of information in the average citizen’s grasp. I have multiple PCs, a PDA (personal digital assistant), a cell phone, and I am logged on to the Internet every day. As a fairly “connected” citizen, I welcome new technologies. However, I can’t envision the day when my dishwasher needs to be connected to the Internet and maintain constant communication with my coffee maker. Bryan Tuszl Chicago, Illinois

Mbeki: A Wise Choice

Having read your article “After Mandela,” I’m more than convinced that Nelson Mandela made a wise choice in choosing Thabo Mbeki as his successor (World Affairs, May 31). Those who claim to be afraid of Mbeki’s intentions should really look deep inside their hearts for the source of their fear. Is it perhaps a case of the guilty being afraid? Florence Samkange-Zeeb Bielefeld, Germany

I was impressed with your articles on Thabo Mbeki, especially Gillian Slovo’s “Now It’s Time for Justice” (World View, May 31). However, I take issue with Slovo’s simplistic argument on Mbeki’s criticism of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The TRC allowed us to see apartheid assassins baring their souls before the Amnesty Committee, detailing crimes committed during the apartheid era. But a majority of those who came were the foot soldiers, and the apartheid politicians and generals–the masterminds behind the killings–have largely remained unpunished. I hope that these generals will account in court for the crimes committed against our people. I would hate to see our much-loved new president be remembered as the one who provided an escape route for these war criminals. Slovo couldn’t have said it better: “Now it’s time for justice.”

Optimism in Israel

As a result of the recent Israeli elections, a dramatic change has occurred in the makeup of the Knesset (“Barak’s Biggest Battle,” World Affairs, May 31). The majority of new parties in the upcoming Knesset deal with social or internal issues, while parties that dealt mainly with security issues were voted out or their influence reduced. Is it possible that Israel is heading in the direction of a “normal country”? Mark Reitkopp Kibbutz Elrom, Israel

It’s a distortion of the truth to describe the years of the Netanyahu government as a “time of hate, a time of deep divisions” (“The Bright Side of Bibi”) without pointing out that the years preceding his election had been a time of greater hate and divisions–even Labor supporters acknowledged that half the nation felt alienated. One of Netanyahu’s achievements was people’s freedom to express their dissatisfaction. L. Blass Jerusalem, Israel

In the table comparing the 1999 Israeli elections with the 1996 elections, it was Netanyahu, and not Peres, who received 55.7 percent of the Jewish vote in 1996, while Peres received 44.3 percent of the Jewish vote. It was only the Arab vote–which went overwhelmingly in favor of Peres–that made that race close. In 1999 the Jewish vote was very close, giving Barak only a 3 percent advantage, while the Arab vote turned the election to nearly a “landslide victory.” Abraham Brot Petah Tiqwa, Israel

Indonesia’s Wish for the Future

I salute you for your May 31 article “Running Through a Mine Field,” about the elections in Indonesia (Asia, May 31). As a student in Jakarta, I don’t care about who will be the next president. But I care about–and hope for–unity, peace and a better life in Indonesia. We, the youth of Indonesia, are the next generation that will fight the corruption and nepotism that have been going on in Indonesia over the last 30 years. Andi Maharani Fadjar Jakarta, Indonesia

A Kissinger Analysis

Henry A. Kissinger’s article “New World Disorder” couldn’t have been more insightful and to the point (Europe, May 31). Through a combination of self-righteous moralizing, arrogance and lack of hard foreign-policy thinking, we are in danger of failing to achieve almost every desirable foreign-policy goal. Jack C. Miklos Piedmont, California

Kissinger’s criticism of the Clinton administration for its Balkans policy of humanitarian intervention, and for its lack of consideration for Russian and Chinese sensibilities, is unacceptable. The U.S. policy is just. There is no other way of dealing with totalitarian regimes like the U.S.S.R. or China today. The collapse of the U.S.S.R. did not come about because of a U.S. “engagement policy,” but rather a firm “containment policy,” especially under Ronald Reagan. Beijing is today emerging as a regional threat and will soon threaten the United States and the world as a whole. This is the result of the United States’ compliance policy toward China–conceived since Kissinger’s time as secretary of State. Nguyen Gia Tien Prilly, Switzerland

I read Kissinger’s article with great interest–and sadness. Wasn’t it just a few decades ago that Kissinger was negotiating for peace as the bombs were still falling in Vietnam? What remarks does he make now that do not equally apply to the war as it was back then? The difference is that now a steady stream of body bags isn’t on its way back to the United States. A better policy in the Balkans would have been to “buy off” President Slobodan Milosevic, rather than spending billions of dollars on the bombing and billions more on the postwar reconstruction. Perhaps we have to wait yet another generation for a more humane policy like this. Garret Sobczyk Puebla, Mexico

Empowering Women

Thank you for your compelling article on the suffering of the refugee women of Kosovo (“Rape and Aftermath,” Special Report, May 24). Please note that the historic 1994 conference held in Cairo was the International Conference on Population and Development, not the Cairo Conference on Family Planning. This conference addressed voluntary reproductive-health programs in the context of a broad-based and participatory approach to social and economic development, support for empowering women and respect for the rights and dignity of all people. Stirling D. Scruggs United Nations Population Fund New York, New York

On Macau and Crime

It was disappointing to see that the reporter who wrote the article “Lords of the Cellblock” had not made more effort to understand Macau (Asia, May 17). It is misleading to write a story about a prison and imply that the society outside reflects the situation within. The image depicted of lawlessness outside the prison gates implies that Macau is constantly under a barrage of criminal activity. This is not true. In 1997 there were a total of 29 homicides in Macau. In 1998 there were 27. This equates to a relatively low rate of 5.4 violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. The government’s fight against crime is succeeding. Overall crime has not risen since 1997, despite population growth. Some of the measures put in place include new anti-triad legislation enacted in August 1997, increased international cooperation, better coordination between Macau’s security forces and the strengthening of police resources. Peter Lio, Deputy Director Macau Government Information Services Macau

Finland’s Past and Present

I’d like to thank you for the article “The Future Is Finnish,” which included a brief summary of Finland’s tragic and heroic history and of Gen. Gustaf Mannerheim’s decisive role in it (Society & The Arts, May 24). In World War II, Finland’s fate–due to its geopolitical location–was in the hands of the Great Powers. Stalin’s plan was to exterminate the Finns as a nation. Thanks to Mannerheim’s remarkable military leader- and statesmanship, Finland survived the war as an independent democratic country, although seriously wounded. But look at Finland today–and where is Russia? Torsti Holvikivi Cascais, Portugal

Peaceful Sikhs

Your article “Sikhs Beyond Seperatism,” which gives glowing tributes to the valiant Indian and overseas Sikhs, was an exceedingly truthful eye-opener (World View, April 26). Many people have the wrong impression of Sikhs because of the unwanted actions of a few people in recent years. As Pranay Gupte correctly points out, Sikhs were a distinct sect contributing to the valor and welfare of India. Gupte omitted some points, although minor ones: Sikhism was established by Guru Nanak about five centuries ago, when the Hindu and Islamic beliefs in India were trying to overpower each other. Thus Sikhism promoted peace and equality. There was even an unwritten tradition that every Hindu family arranged one marriage between its son or daughter and a Sikh counterpart. K. Ravindran Singapore

In reference to your article about the Sikhs’ 300th anniversary in India, I would like to point out that this Khalsa (a Punjabi word that translates as “pure”) religious anniversary was also observed in Nepal. Nepal is the only Hindu kingdom in the world, and our king is highly respected among all the world’s Hindus. As part of the observance of the Sikh anniversary, the king was invited to Kathmandu, and his presence was of immense value. Keshab Shah Kathmandu, Nepal

No Simple Answers

In the article “Why the Young Kill,” it was suggested that early trauma, such as abuse or neglect, can cause permanent physical changes in the brain and reset stress hormones to promote the development of violent behavior in youth (Special Report, May 3). It was further suggested that emotional neglect can impair the development of the cortex and reduce a person’s capacity for experiencing empathy. These claims overstate available research. Moreover, there are preliminary data to suggest that the biological changes associated with early adversity can be prevented or reversed through exposure to consistent nurturing. We must be careful not to stigmatize traumatized children or undermine the efforts of parents and professionals working with them. Not all traumatized children become violent, and there are no simple answers to the question of why some youth kill. Joan Kaufman, Ph.D. Andres Martin, M.D. Dennis Charney, M.D. Dept. of Psychiatry & Child Study Center Yale University New Haven, Connecticut