While Jessica Winter's article about Daniel Day-Lewis is very informative and while there is no doubt that he is a great actor, to call him the "greatest living actor" is going too far [Hail to the Chief, Nov. 5]. I would suggest that there are better film actors (like Robert De Niro), and there are certainly better stage actors (Ian McKellen and Simon Russell Beale come to mind) who convey levels of emotion, empathy and comedy that Day-Lewis can only dream of.
Niall Garvie, BROMLEY, ENGLAND
Lessons from Lincoln
After reading literally hundreds of books and articles on Abraham Lincoln for my writing projects and Lincoln Live performances, I don't expect to learn much that's new on the topic [Lincoln to the Rescue, Nov. 5]. But your adaptation of David Von Drehle's book is an exception. It's wise, beautifully written, deeply informed, full of insights — a joy to read.
Gene Griessman, ATLANTA
Even in contemporary times, the principles of wisdom, calmness of mind, rising hope and alertness in a leader are key to unlocking the door to triumph in polities racked with division and derision. The newly re-elected President of the United States, and also leaders of other sovereign states, would do well to earnestly reflect on President Lincoln's captaincy of the American nation-state from the brink of abyss to political equilibrium.
Ranajoy Sen, KOLKATA
Greece's Golden Dawn
Joanna Kakissis' whole article gives the impression that Greeks are paranoid racists and fails to mention the criminal record of immigrants against Greeks, who live in fear and terror.
Nicolas Simonis, ATHENS
Economic crises breed simplistic ideas and dark ideologies. It is years of incompetent politics and complacent societies that give these ideologies the breathing space they need to tighten their strangling grip. But the Greece we love will outlast them because the blood spilled by Greeks through the ages, defending freedom and democracy, far outweighs the meager droplets donated by Golden Dawn for its supposed pure race.
Athanasios Hatzilakos, ATHENS
The Promise of India
As an economist focusing on South Asia, it was with great interest that I read TIME's special report on India [Oct. 29]. For far too long, the international media have been fixated on the country's economic miracle, ignoring the problems of translating that rapid economic growth into social progress. I therefore applaud the authors of all four articles in the report for so successfully capturing the complexity of India's political economy and identifying the challenges, as well as the opportunities, it faces in the coming years.
Jyoti Saraswati, NEW YORK CITY
Your special report on India summarizes the true state of India's growth: rudderless. It now aims only at big, bold and magical growth, and growth matters more than inflation, corporations more than citizens, and foreign investment more than long-term strategy. I hope the next phase of India will happen soon, where growth means clean cities, towns and villages with good health care, transportation and education.
D.N. Rao, HYDERABAD, INDIA
With massive movement of people toward urban areas, it's hard for residents of cities to live peacefully, let alone think of the struggling villages [All in a Day's Work, Oct. 29]. Indeed, what India needs most urgently today is to fix the antiquated infrastructure of all its cities.
Suresh Parappurath,
BANGALORE, INDIA
Plight of a Pakistani Girl
Your article "Saving Malala" [Oct. 29] was inspiring. Malala is not only a teenage girl speaking up for the rights to education, amid the repressive and unstable regime, but she is also a human being speaking up for the rights of society at large. While it is true there are many citizens killed by drones and suicide attacks, deplorable as they are, the significance of Malala's case is that the brazen attack on her was calculated with the aim of eliminating her voice and in forewarning others of the consequences of defying the regime. She deserves the world's attention for the cause and courage of standing up to the Taliban.
Sathia Varqa, SINGAPORE
Homegrown Energy
In "The New Oil and Gas Boom" [Oct. 29], Fareed Zakaria argues that "the emotional opposition to nuclear energy has little to do with the data — many more people die in coal mines every year than have ever died in nuclear plants." This could be true for now, but the potential for catastrophic disasters in such plants in the future cannot be simply wished away by Zakaria's seemingly clever argument. Chernobyl is a stark reminder that technology can and does fail. Add to this the possibility of human error (and even human terror), and his argument becomes irrelevant. The term green energy is fine when talking about wind- and water-powered sources, for instance. But to give such status to nuclear energy is somewhat presumptive.
James Louis Ndirangu, NAIROBI