ON TOP OF THE WORLD

"The final match showed that if the will exists, an inferior team, France, can beat a superior one, Brazil."
ALEJANDRO CASTANEDA
Mexico City

I like football and enjoy watching games on TV and in the stadium [July 20]. But something must be wrong when football is the only concern of so many people in our world and when incredible amounts of money are spent on a sport while millions are starving. Maybe it is time to redefine the limits of what should be just an entertainment or a pastime.
SAMUEL BARRAGUER
Zaragoza, Spain With the 3-0 defeat of Brazil by the well-oiled and motivated French team, I am sure the billions of TV spectators will confirm that this was not a fluke victory.
ALUMMOOTIL PAUL
Bleiswijk, the Netherlands "Unbeatable"? Perhaps not, since there are bad days for every football team. But despite the defeat, Brazil's team is still the best in the world.
HAROLDO JOSI DOS SANTOS
Bahia, Brazil France proved to be a worthy winner. Throughout the tournament, the team displayed a sense of dignity, which was sadly lacking in some teams from other countries. I wonder if the World Cup's organizers ever considered a scenario in which a country could win the Cup without having won a single game played without overtime. This could happen if a team collected three points during the round-robin stage with three draws, thus qualifying for the second round, and then continued to draw its matches in the knockout stage but progressed by virtue of faring well in The penalty shoot-out. The final could be similarly won!
RANDY BAPTIST
Nugegoda, Sri Lanka You said the old world order has reigned supreme in the World Cup. But a good example of the emerging new guard is Croatia. In its first World Cup appearance, the team won third place. Another surprise was France's victory over Brazil to win the championship. I must agree with the comment that the penalty kick is "football's version of Russian roulette." And it is not a coincidence that the first team to score usually wins, as the second team feels all the pressure to match the score.
ALBERT J. SUH
Seoul

Thanks to the Federation Internationale de Football Association for introducing rules that resulted in a fairer game on the field. As a next step, there should be less penalty shooting and fewer matches decided by one goal. The latter might be achieved by enlarging the goal area.
LUZI HITZ
Corseaux, Switzerland

MOTHERS WHO KILL

I am deeply appalled at the American legal system's giving custody of a child to a mother convicted of murdering her daughter [July 20]. How could the court allow Latrena Pixley to have custody of her son Cornilous instead of giving it to Laura Blankman, the foster mother who has cared for him for almost two years? The persisting belief that the biological mother is always best is completely erroneous. To be a true mother, you must always hold your child's best interest at heart. And that is the central failure of the justice system: it has taken away from this child his last sanctuary, his true mother, Laura Blankman.
HARRY CHIEN
Walnut, Calif. It's hard to believe that the court allowed Pixley to regain custody of her son. I can understand that a mother would wish to raise her child, but does this child want to be reunited with his biological mother? The boy has been living with Blankman most of his life, and I am sure he considers her his real mother. Pixley should have the right to see her son, but considering the fact that she apparently is recovering from mental illness, he should remain with his foster mother. It is cruel to take Cornilous away from Blankman's love and transplant him to unfamiliar surroundings that might be harmful and dangerous. Who can truly say biological is better?
GILLIAN MORROW
Sassari, Italy

Appeal to a higher court, Laura Blankman! It's time for the legal system to realize that "family" means more than just blood and race relations. Let's not allow technicalities to endanger this young boy's life. I'm sure Latrena Pixley was a victim of abuse and needs healing, but not at Cornilous' expense. It's obvious Pixley remains an unfit mother.
WENDY LAM
Carlsbad, Calif.

DECLARING A PALESTINIAN STATE

Re your article about Yasser Arafat and his threat to ditch the peace negotiations and simply declare the state of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip next year [July 20]: it was refreshing to see Arafat portrayed as less than perfect. Instead of labeling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "intransigent," the media should explain that his stance is due to Arafat's failure to implement most of the Oslo accords. Better yet, why not explain to your readers that in 1947 the Jews accepted and the Arabs rejected the U.N.'s partition plan for Palestine? Had the Arabs accepted the plan and not launched the wars in 1948 and 1967, they would probably now have all the West Bank, there would be no Palestinian refugees, and there might be peace in the Middle East.
KEN SPIRO
Givat Ze'ev, Israel

THE NATURE OF NIGERIANS

Thanks for your accurate portrait of Nigeria's political tragedy [July 20]. We should observe a moment of silence for both General Sani Abacha and Chief Moshood Abiola, for they were my fellow Nigerians. The 18th century English writer Alexander Pope wrote, "For forms of government, let fools contest; whate'er is best administer'd is the best..." The fault lies not so much in Nigeria's form of government but in our selfish nature as Nigerians. We all need a change of heart for the benefit of our children in the world ahead.
ANTHONY A. AIYA-OBA
Boston

Your statement that Nigeria is a country where "everything but misery is in short supply" is an insult. Nigeria is not as bad as the Western press portrays it. I hold America partly responsible for Nigeria's problems. If the U.S. had put an embargo on Nigerian oil, the billions of dollars in revenues siphoned off by the military bosses would not have been available. And the much-talked-about Nigerian financial scams are done with the connivance of greedy Americans.
OTIOCHA E. ELEAZAR
San Francisco Chief Abiola is a hero to Nigerians, not by the nature of his person and character but by his principles of fair play and justice. We knew him better than you did. Whether he was a criminal or a thief is immaterial. Whether he "dumped money on the electorate" in the 1993 election is also inconsequential. He was our choice, and we demand respect for him. The West has helped prop up the villains, and we Nigerians lost our authentic democratic leader.
IROM AREKONG
Accra, Ghana The majority of Nigerians don't care who or what killed strongman Abacha. The death of this wicked man brought joy to millions of my fellow countrymen and -women. It goes to confirm the statement in Proverbs that at the death of a wicked person, the people rejoice. Abacha was one of the most hated heads of state in this country's history. We Nigerians never had it so bad. Thank God the nightmare is over.
SOJI FAJEMIROKUN
Lagos, Nigeria I am one of the millions of educated Nigerians described in your article "who once formed an ambitious middle class and have fled the country in total frustration." But ethnic division, poverty and mass ignorance have made it virtually impossible for an honest, intelligent and well-meaning leadership to emerge. While I am saddened at recent events in Nigeria, I share the belief of most Nigerians that this is the best chance we have to shed some of the burdens that have held us back since independence 38 years ago and move forward as a nation.
ONYEKWERE OGAN
Los Angeles

DISARM AMERICANS

TIME devoted 20 pages to America's obsession with guns, but you did not mention how preposterous it is to own a weapon [July 6]. The U.S., the self-proclaimed leader of international order, cannot keep its own house in order. How can it be an example for international order? If America can propose nuclear disarmament, why can it not disarm its own people and join the nongun cultures of the other developed and advanced nations? Do away with guns, period.
PEDRO A. PASTRANO
Tokyo

BURYING THE IRISH DEAD

How different the world would be if the Catholics had invited the Protestants to come through their street and offered them tea and muffins [July 20]. But they are Irish first and Christian second. So instead of tea and muffins, we have black flags of mourning.
MOSHE PARANN
Bad Homburg, Germany

A BETTER TRIBUTE FOR ROY

I've seen way too much of Michael Jordan and Princess Di in the media, but when cowboy actor Roy Rogers died, all we got was a small Milestone [July 20]. He should have been on your cover.
LINDA CRULL
Conifer, Colo. I was disappointed not to read in the Roy Rogers eulogies of his many charitable acts. During the Vietnam War, Rogers and his wife Dale Evans went to Vietnam to show their support for American troops fighting there, as well as for the sick and wounded in troop hospitals in Vietnam.
CLARKE M. BRANDT
Lieut. Colonel, U.S.A. (ret.)
Aurora, Colo.

NUKES AND SECURITY CONCERNS

Why has there been such a fuss over India's managing to catch the CIA with its pants down and surprising the world with a nuclear test [June 8]? Actually, we have had nuclear power (for electricity rather than bombs) since 1974. Now that things have cooled down, the world can start viewing the situation more realistically. While the U.S. still hasn't ratified the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, it must recognize that we Indians have our own security concerns. With China and Pakistan as neighbors, India is between a rock and a hard place.
SURESH RAMASUBRAMANIAN
Hyderabad, India

While the international sanctions for exploding nuclear weapons would simply penalize India, the effect on Pakistan's economy would be devastating. Maybe the Indian government knew that when it decided politicians have always embarked on an India-bashing diatribe whenever the economic situation at home deteriorated. What's more, worsening economic conditions have often resulted in increased insurgency across the border, and the price has been paid in human lives. History invaria
bly closes in on the two countries. It's a tango of death. NOOR AFSHAN
Mumbai, India

CORRECTION

Our story on hot Internet companies [August 3] included a graphic on the founders of Excite that gave their wealth in billions of dollars instead of millions. The correct figures are: $28.4 million for Joe Kraus and $19.4 million for George Bell.