Mailbag

Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan’s problem with her mother is getting stale. Susan was my neighbor and schoolmate for a dozen years. She is a talented actress who put it all on hold to raise her family. When Meg’s parents divorced, her father, who was a local schoolteacher, stayed in the house, and her mother left for New York (only an hour away) to find work. It was Susan’s prompting and encouragement that led Meg to commercials and a soap opera role. Meg is living her mother’s dream, bringing great pride to her parents and her siblings. Come on, Meg, honor your mother! At least stop degrading her. And stop denying your son Jack a very special grandmother! Honey Collimore Sluben, Meredith, N.H.

If Meg Ryan truly is a person “who really examines life and all that entails,” then she ought to reexamine her feelings toward her mother and try to find forgiveness in her heart. Do it now, Meg, before you and your child lose the opportunity!

Martha Bakry, Bladensburg, Md.

I am a fan of both Meg Ryan’s and her husband’s films, but I’m an even bigger fan now. It is so nice to read about celebs who practice hands-on parenting. I applaud their choice to make son Jack a priority. He’s one lucky boy!

Dawn Wasson, Nashport, Ohio

Our children learn from our example. Meg Ryan teaching her son that if his mother makes him mad he can never talk to her again is a great lesson.

Bernadine Carter, La Vernia, Texas

Michael Zaslow

I have a good friend who suffers from ALS, and your stories about Mr. Zaslow and his organization have inspired me to join in the fight to find a cure. I am sure that Michael’s family, though their loss is immeasurable, will continue their efforts to make his dream of a cure by the year 2000 a reality.

Paige E. Jarvis, Athens, Ga.

Having lost my father to ALS, I am painfully aware of the suffering one endures with this dreadful disease. I want to thank PEOPLE for printing this story and bringing national attention to ALS, which strikes some 5,000 people each year. Although Mr. Zaslow is no longer with us, his efforts on behalf of ALS fund-raising and awareness were a great help.

Bonnie Wilson, Alexandria, Va.

You describe Michael and Susan’s daughters as their “adopted” daughters Marika and Helena. Do you honestly think the Zaslows for one second referred to their daughters as “our adopted daughters”? They are their daughters, and those daughters just lost their father. No further description necessary.

Deb Lucas, Fort Wayne, Ind.

• Carmen Electra
• Carmen Electra‘s denial of the real nature of her relationship with Dennis Rodman is pathetic. How low does a 26-year-old woman’s self-esteem have to be that she would excuse the behavior of someone who publicly declared (in so many words) that she is merely a sperm receptacle to him?
• Marianne Bloomfield, Clifton, Va.

I will never understand why it’s necessary to give publicity to stars who are obviously trying to insult our intelligence. Who does not remember the farce Dennis Rodman tried to put over on us about his last “wedding,” when he showed up at a bookstore in a bridal gown to promote his autobiography? I guess Dennis has run out of shocking things to do for attention, and bad publicity is better than no publicity at all. How pathetic!

April Clark, Irving, Texas

Picks & Pans

As an avid Pearl Jam fan, I appreciate your review of their latest album, Live on Two Legs. As a Pearl Jam concertgoer, however, I’d like to point out a notable discrepancy in the article. Jack Irons did not serve as drummer during the 1998 tour, which was featured on the album. Rather, Matt Cameron, formerly of Soundgarden, filled in during his absence.

Kelly Rogers, Tampa

Daniel Crocker

After reading your sympathetic portrayal of killer Daniel Crocker, I felt compelled to set things straight. Stories like this, which glorify confessed killers and not the victim’s life and the struggles of her family, are what keep people from talking to the press. Daniel Crocker received the gift of a future from my family when we agreed to a plea bargain. He doesn’t deserve sympathy.

Jay Fresquez, Kansas City, Mo.

Daniel Crocker is not only a murderer; he has also been a liar throughout the better part of his life. He destroyed the Fresquez family, not to mention his own. He hid behind the skirts of the church and God far too long. It makes me want to hurl. Ten years is a pittance.

Kathleen Landsborough, Vancouver, Wash.

Audrey Santo

To me it looks as if these sincere people have been hoodwinked. They want to believe that their dear Audrey is truly with them, when in fact she’s basically oblivious to everything going on around her. I commend her mother and friends for lovingly taking care of her for so long, but I’m afraid that what Rev. Harvey Egan of Boston College has to say is only too correct: Sadly, it is a “spiritual freak show” at the expense of some very caring and compassionate people.

Pam Potvin-Tolliver, Springfield, Mass.

It is not my right to question miracles, but I do question transporting this very ill girl to a football field for a mass marking the anniversary of her accident. The moving of any patient in this state is traumatic. What purpose did this serve?

Georgiana Doty, Crestwood, Ky.

What an absolutely horrifying story! Don’t they have child protective services in Massachusetts?

Nadine E. Miller, Fremont, Calif.

Gretchen Wollerman

I was struck by the cruel irony that Gretchen Wollerman, for 18 years a dedicated greeter for Welcome Wagon, should learn by a taped message that her services are not needed. Despite all the hype about e-mail and how computers bring the world together, the human touch is welcome more now than ever.

Dale Kult, Del Mar, Calif.

Your story led many Canadians to believe that home visits will be ended in Canada. The opposite is true. Welcome Wagon in Canada is vibrant, strong and growing.

Irene Renaud, chairman & CEO Welcome Wagon Ltd., Agincourt, Ont.

Brian Menzies

What Brian Menzies does in providing cars for the underprivileged moves me. If more people would stop criticizing those on welfare and lend a helping hand, they would find that it makes their own lives better as well. I have a small daycare, and all the parents here used to be on welfare. They take the bus to my house, drop off their children, hop back on the bus, work, get on the bus again to come get their children, then ride the bus home. They work hard, and people like Brian make it easier for them to keep working hard. Theresa Ferrari-Charity, Orange, Calif.

Dr. Bob Arnot

The critics of Dr. Bob Arnot’s book do their readers a disservice. Our research, as well as research from other medical institutions, has confirmed the link between nutrition and cancer. Dr. Arnot’s messages are not the final word on the matter, but the beginning of a new way of thinking about cancer prevention. Can the public afford to wait 10 to 20 years for study results when more than 180,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed annually with breast cancer? We don’t believe they can.

Michael Osborne, M.D., president & CEO Strang Cancer Prevention Center, New York City

For Bob Arnot to “remove misleading claims” from future editions of his book is too little too late. There is no such thing as a breast cancer prevention diet. I suggest Bob Arnot donate every dime he earns from this book to research that may discover the cause of breast cancer and a scientifically proven prevention strategy. Maybe then he can write a book with an accurate title.

Peggy Schuemann, Milwaukee