“A Sailor Bridges the Digital
Divide” [Opinion, January-Feb-ruary] illustrated a wonderful
use of computer technology for
older Americans.
Here is another: My mother,
86, lives in New York. Her
great-grandson, Maxwell, lives
in Mozambique. I live in Massachusetts. The first time we
video-conferenced during one
of her visits here, Max sat in
his highchair in Africa eating
his dinner, and my mother and
I sat at a table in Massachusetts, chatting as comfortably
as if we were in the same room.
At one point, Max held his
spoon up to the screen, where
he saw his great-grandma, and
“gave her a bite,” with giggles
all around.
There have been many more
such “visits.” With an inexpensive webcam, an 86-year-old
woman can watch a beloved
little boy growing up.
JEAN BIGGS
Assonet, Mass.
Foreclosure fallout
Regarding “Please, Judge, Save
My House”: If you have enough
sense to buy a house, you should
have enough sense to have read
your loan papers. Yes, there are
some unscrupulous lenders. But
if you didn’t understand what
an ARM was, you have no one to
blame but yourself.
Take that, Mr. Lincoln
Salmon P. Chase, Abraham
Lincoln’s first secretary of
the treasury, did manage to
outshine his boss in at least one
respect [“But Who’s Handling
the Finances?,” Editor’s Letter].
Lincoln is on the $5 bill, but
Chase graced the $10,000 bill.
BOB CULLEN
Baltimore
Miles in those shoes?
You have got to be kidding.
Seymour Chwast’s illustration for “Walking 50 Miles a
Month” [Power of 50] had me
laughing so hard I could barely
walk. Because there, on that
gal’s feet, were high heels.
DEBORAH S. SNYDER
Stafford, Va.
Guarding Social Security
In “We’ll Get Through This”
[Where We Stand], Bill Novelli
comments, “Imagine where
we’d be now if we had allowed
Social Security privatization.”
To all those men and women
who worked to prevent that
change, I say, “Thank you! You
are my heroes!”
MARTHA JENKINS
Corvallis, Ore.
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