Letters: Jul. 10, 2006

JIM KASHISHIAN

Madrid

The report on freedom of the seas noted that the ship sailed out of Miami and made references to the Statue of Liberty, so readers might be left with the wrong idea about where the ship was built. The world's biggest cruise ship was built in Finland; it took about 7 million working hours to complete, in a nation of about 5 million people.

RAIKKO HYTONEN

Helsinki

Cave Art in Peril

Thank you for shining a worldwide light on the crisis in Lascaux, France [June 19]. Clearly, the cave and its irreplaceable paintings are still at grave risk. An international group of experts in cave art and conservation should be allowed to monitor and report to the world on the cave and its health. Lascaux is an expression of the earliest experience of being human. The cave's discovery in 1940 redefined what was known about human beings' creative development and ability to construct image from abstract thought. This critical leap and its resulting tangible evidence is invaluable to understanding global human heritage. We must take immediate steps to ensure that generations of our descendants have the benefit of Lascaux's lessons.

MELODY K. DI PIAZZA

INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR THE PRESERVATION OF LASCAUX

New York City

One Tongue for All?

Re "In Plain English, Let's Make It Official" [June 12], it was wrong for essayist Charles Krauthammer to argue against bilingualism by comparing the Hispanic immigrants of the U.S. to the Québécois of Canada. Francophones sailed up the St. Lawrence River almost a century before the English did. That means that the French and the French language deserve at least some kind of official status and recognition in North America.

DAVID KOJAOGHLANIAN

Montreal

It's worth noting that whitehouse.gov the official website of the U.S. President, offers the option of viewing that site in Spanish. I suppose if English were to become the official language, the website would have to change, and that could pose a problem at election time. Moreover, I think more revenue will be collected if tax forms continue to be available in Spanish. I suppose with the new mentality of Fortress America, if you're going to build walls to keep out the foreigners, you might as well use language to keep them out as well.

DAVE HORNE

Helvoirt, the Netherlands

A Rich, Impoverished Nation

Congratulations for your excellent report on the Democratic Republic of Congo [June 5]. It is a very rich country inhabited by an overwhelming majority of impoverished people, victims of foreign rapacity and the unlimited greed of some nationals. International cooperation is needed to halt the looting of Congolese resources, and to bring peace and efficient, honest democratic governance. Otherwise, the so-called First World will continue trying to stop African immigrants with walls, patrol boats and airport controls.

LUIS BELTRÁN

Alcalá de Henares, Spain