Letters: Jan. 17, 2005

We live in a shortsighted society that sees sleep as an obstacle to productivity [Dec. 20]. But the truth is quite the opposite. A nightly investment in eight hours of rest may lead to even greater accomplishments. The greatest and most imaginative members of society, our children, sleep 10 to 12 hours a night. We should follow their lead. And we certainly shouldn’t buy into romanticized notions of how much work we can do without sleep.

LEWIS J. KASS, M.D., DIRECTOR PEDIATRIC SLEEP LABORATORY THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL AT MONTEFIORE New York City

Going without rest is a disturbing American trend, like overachieving. But sleep deprivation will catch up with us in the end. Falling asleep at the wheel because of lack of sleep has killed innocent drivers. Why do we feel the need to be constantly doing something? To pump up our self-esteem? I’m with William Shakespeare, who referred to “sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care.”

ROBIN FRANCIS Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.

The new research on the benefits of sleep was fascinating, but I wish there had been some information for the benefit of millions of insomniacs like me, whose only desire is to drop off.

JIM HOLIK Denver

You reported that scientists have found that going without sleep for more than 20 hours significantly impairs a person’s cognitive abilities and reaction time, producing a functional level as bad as if he had a blood-alcohol reading of 0.08. Perhaps these scientists should talk to their colleagues who run medical-residency programs that require 24-to-36-hour shifts. Sleep deprivation might contribute to medical mistakes, leading to malpractice lawsuits and higher malpractice insurance costs, which drive some doctors to stop practicing.

JONG-ON HAHM Potomac, Md.

Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams.

RICHARD GREENE San Rafael, Calif.

The Army We Have

TIME said a reporter helped Army Specialist Thomas Wilson craft the question he asked Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about U.S. troops having inadequately armored vehicles [Dec. 20]. That should in no way detract from the seriousness of the shortages and the problems that our troops are facing in combat in Iraq. It does not make Rumsfeld’s answer–“You go to war with the Army you have”–less callous or arrogant. And it certainly does not make the deaths and horrific injuries suffered by our troops less real or less painful to bear because they lack such protection.

DORIAN DE WIND MAJOR, U.S.A.F. (RET.) Austin, Texas

Improvising in the military life, like using scrap material to add protection to vehicles, has always been necessary during battle. Toward the end of October 2003, soldiers had already addressed the issue of needing armor for their vehicles, especially humvees. While waiting for official testing and deployment of armor approved by the Department of Defense, we immediately took measures to protect our soldiers. As contingency contracting officers, we procured from a couple of Iraqi vendors 1/4-in.-thick steel armor that stopped ballistics, including AK-47 rounds and shrapnel. Many officers and soldiers have said the local Iraqi armor saved their lives.

SCOTT A. MEEHAN MAJOR, U.S. ARMY Orlando, Fla.

An honest answer from Rumsfeld would have gone like this: “You lack armor because we are incompetent. We expected smiles and flowers, not improvised explosive devices, suicide bombers, hatred and looting. We ignored the generals who said we would need 200,000 troops. Now you must pay for our miscalculations with your lives and limbs. Sorry.”

RICHARD PHELAN McGregor, Texas

Revising the Record

As much as I am happy that Bertelsmann’s CEO Gunter Thielen was included in TIME’S list of the 25 most influential people in business today [Dec. 20], I am sorry to see that certain facts in the accompanying article were incorrect. TIME implied that I left Thielen with debts of $3.5 billion. At the end of my tenure as Bertelsmann’s CEO, its debt was E334 million, the lowest of all big media corporations that I know of. Companies like Time Warner, Disney and Vivendi Universal are paying this as annual interest. TIME implied that I left “a slew of dubious new assets.” The truth is that all the acquisitions under my leadership delivered the originally budgeted returns and Bertelsmann faced no write-off. You also wrote that Bertelsmann owner Reinhard Mohn “was so upset by Middelhoff’s tenure.” Our disagreement was primarily over my desire to make Bertelsmann a publicly held company, not about Bertelsmann’s financial performance. Under my leadership, the company’s revenue nearly doubled, the operating profit (EBITDA) more than tripled, and the equity quintupled. Today the companies acquired during my tenure deliver more than 60% of Bertelsmann’s free cash flow.

THOMAS MIDDELHOFF CEO, BERTELSMANN, 1998-2002 London

The Declining Dollar

You reported that the falling value of the U.S. dollar hurts European manufacturers [Dec. 20]. It affects other Europeans as well–those, like me, who worked in the U.S. and receive a pension in dollars. My benefits shrink a bit more each month. The loss now is more than 30%. I wonder how many thousands of people find themselves in the same very troubling predicament.

MARCELLE VIALE Nice, France

Not So Pretty Pictures

Please extend my sympathy to the editors who selected “The Best Pictures of the Year” [Dec. 20]. They’re working too hard and must be burned out. The images were overwhelmingly reflective of war, terrorism, and the dead and dying. If these are “snapshots of our collective soul in 2004,” as you described them, we’re a lot worse off than I thought.

ALEXANDER ROSS Chocowinity, N.C.