Inbox

The iPad Cometh
Bravo for having Stephen Fry write that existential piece — both an unabashed encomium and an evenhanded review — about the iPad [April 12]. As with a lover, Fry concedes his unbridled infatuation, acknowledging the iPad’s faults but choosing to overlook them. Love’s blind, but who’s perfect? If the iPad makes people feel more fulfilled, why the hell not?
Anya Chi,
Simsbury, Conn., U.S.

O.K., I get it already! Steve Jobs is a genius, and the iPad is a window into the future of computing. I admire Jobs. I even like Stephen Fry. But couldn’t you have sent someone a little less genuflecting? I read TIME for its in-depth coverage of news that gets short shrift elsewhere. I’d rather not have to check to see if I’m reading Macworld.
Robert Perez,
Bellevue, Wash., U.S.

A massive vote of thanks and congratulations to Lev Grossman and Stephen Fry for letting us into the world of Apple’s new iPad. Although I am always two generations behind the latest innovations and probably won’t need an iPad, my acute curiosity and interest have been awakened and I can hardly wait to get some finger time on this latest mother of all gadgets. I just wish Apple did focus groups rather than tell us what we need.
Karl Pagac,
Villeneuve-Loubet, France

The lavish coverage of the iPad was very interesting, though it begged some questions. One of them would be: Does Time Warner have a significant Apple shareholding?
Jim Taylor,
London

Technological inventions are worthy of coverage. But please, don’t become an integral part of Apple’s very smart p.r. machine.
Jules van de Ven,
The Hague

What’s in That Bottle May Hurt You
Thank you for covering the issue of plastics and their effect on our health [April 12]. I wish it had been the cover. I am disturbed that I misunderstood the recycling label on various plastic products as something good (it has a recycling symbol on it!) when in reality it means that the product contains a problematic chemical that may affect multiple generations in the form of birth defects and cancers. We have to get educated; this affects all of us.
Mani Maheshwari,
Cary, N.C., U.S.

Given that dangerous chemicals are found in so many products, we should prioritize tips for consumer change as we wait for tighter regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency. At the top of the list should be teaching about plastics containing bisphenol A that are used for food consumption, including baby bottles and meal containers. As a nursing student, I find simple tips — washing and reusing can increase chemical leaching, and exposing certain plastics to heat can be dangerous — can go a long way.
Nicole Adelman,
San Francisco

The obvious answer is to return to glass, abandoned because it was too expensive to transport. Not manufacturing plastic would save money too!
Carolyn Bradley,
Bullhead City, Ariz., U.S.

Where Have All the Fallen Soldiers Gone?
Thank you for the touching article “Coming Home” [April 12]. My heart breaks for the widow of Staff Sergeant William Ricketts, and I was saddened to read that the media are not so interested in covering these final trips. If the families agree, we should cover all fallen heroes. Maybe public opinion will be a force to end these wars.
Jacqualine Chappuis,
Stockton, Calif., U.S.

How disturbing that Ricketts was on his fifth tour of duty since joining the Army after 9/11. How could the Defense Department, Congress and the Bush and Obama administrations continue to allow this small number of troops and their families to carry the human burden of this war that will not end and cannot be justified?
Roger Franke,
Burnsville, Minn., U.S.

Hellenic Hubris
Re “Greek Thinker” [April 12]: I mostly agree with your description of the Greek Prime Minister. George Papandreou is a gentleman, a world-class diplomat and an innovative thinker. Nevertheless, all these positive qualities cannot hide the stark truth that, despite his good intentions, he could prove to be a disastrous ruler if he does not quickly realize that he is not the entitled governor of a U.S. state or a Nordic country, but the Prime Minister of debt-ridden Greece.
Georgios Kapellakos,
Halkida, Greece

Given that Papandreou is Greek, surely his task is Heraclean rather than Herculean.
Maher Mughrabi,
Coburg, Australia