Terror in the Factory
Until I read “Sex and the City: The Horror Movie,” by Vanessa Grigoriadis [December 5], I didn’t realize alleged Halloween rapist Peter Braunstein was Andy Warhol– and Edie Sedgwick–obsessed. One can’t help but wonder how Warhol might have felt about such an homage, especially considering how prominently tabloid horror figured in his work. The repetitive images of Braunstein plastered around the city? Would Warhol have found them silk-screen-worthy? Braunstein has managed to stretch his proverbial fifteen minutes through the very creativity of his crime.
—Shari Sperling, Brooklyn
Good Americans
My brother Billy, “a firefighter,” as Robert Kolker succinctly described him in “The Grief Police” [November 28], was captain of Engine 21. While on the 27th floor of Tower One and aware of the collapse of Tower Two, he ordered the successful evacuation of his men and that of Engine 24, and the civilians they helped save. He stayed behind to help two workers, one of whom was a quadriplegic. Before they could escape, the building collapsed. I believe that Billy, and the innocent men and women like him, deserve a museum rising from the site, dedicated solely to 9/11. It should be readily visible—not underground—easily accessible and easy to exit.
—Michael Burke, the Bronx
No one is ever going to forget 9/11. Garnering such sensationalized press for the rebuilding project, the eleven members of Take Back the Memorial have not protected the memory of those lost—they’ve tarnished it on an international level. Square footage, location, and retail-shop approval will not bring their loved ones back. Meanwhile, thousands of jobs to help unemployed New Yorkers remain unavailable owing to the stall, and millions of our tax dollars are being wasted on what has essentially become a vanity project of grief.
—Anderson John, Manhattan
I wonder if you wouldn’t have preferred to have titled this story “When Will They Just Go Away?!” Even the oddly angled photo on the opening pages seems to vilify this group. They are just doing what Americans are supposed to do. They are diligently fighting for what they believe in and refusing to be pushed aside by those who believe otherwise. As a highly decorated firefighter, I salute their efforts.
—Daniel A. Nigro, QueensCorrection
In the December 12 “Letters” page, owing to an editing error, Daniel A. Nigro was misidentified as a “highly decorated firefighter.” Although Daniel A. Nigro spent 33 years in the New York City Fire Department and became the chief of the department on 9/11/01, he was not referring to himself when he wrote about a “highly decorated firefighter” in his letter. He was referring to Lee Ielpi. New York regrets the error.
Small Phenom
Your article on kindergarten couldn’t have come at a better time [“Cracking the Kindergarten Code,” by Andrew Marks, November 28]. My extremely gifted but young-for-her-age 5-year-old was rejected by all the top-tier kindergartens you mentioned. She’s been a wreck, unable to finish the Bach concerto she’s scheduled to perform at Lincoln Center over the holidays. Thank you for providing us with a plan: We’ll definitely reapply next year rather than settle for a second-tier or public kindergarten. I realize there might be a stigma attached to holding a child back, especially a girl, but if it becomes a problem, I’ve heard there are people who, for top dollar, will doctor a child’s birth records.
—Deborah Stone-Tonelli, Manhattan
Return Policy
I was repulsed by the suggestion that a coyote-fur vest would make a lovely gift [“The Gift List,” November 28]. Coyotes are essentially undomesticated dogs. I couldn’t decide if this was a symptom of how barbaric our nation has become under the current political regime, or simply a display of Paris Hiltonian mindlessness. Either way, I am warmed by the knowledge that any one of my friends, fashionistas included, would be appalled to unwrap a package and be confronted by this.
—Louise Murray, Manhattan
Sex, Stat
I enjoyed “Is the World Ready for Libido in a Nasal Spray?” by Julian Dibbell [November 21]. As a member of the fading-libido community, I can only hope that PT-141 clears all hurdles on its way to a drugstore near me and that Professor Leonore Tiefer proves to be no more than a crabby wet blanket.
—Ken Fischer, Highland Park, N.J.
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