Letters to the Editor No Comparison To the Editor: I recently read your article “Why Are We Ignoring the Incas?” with great interest (City Reporter, August 20th issue). As you know, we are getting the artifacts from that exhibit as we did with “Titanic: The Exhibition.” We, too, have been criticized for having wild fluctuations in attendance at different exhibitions. It simply is not possible to make comparisons without many qualifications. I have seen “Ancestors of the Incas” and believe it to be an excellent exhibition that has tremendous educational and cultural value. The city of Memphis should be proud to offer these exhibitions. To put it into perspective, the Salvador Dali Museum here in St. Petersburg draws approximately 200,000 visitors annually and is a very successful museum. Yet when an exhibit of ours drew 300,000 visitors in just six months, there were comparisons to a prior exhibit that drew 600,000, making it seem like a failure. When the same show appeared in Detroit – a larger market than Tampa-St. Petersburg – and drew 300,000, it was a huge success. If cultural organizations simply produced shows that drew huge numbers, we would lose a lot of educational and cultural value. Diversity is critical in exhibitions as it is in life. I would hope that your “Ancestors of the Incas” show would be considered a success just for happening in Memphis. We are proud of our relationship with the city of Memphis, and I know how much effort went into producing “Ancestors of the Incas.” The staff and management that are responsible for the shows in Memphis are one of the hardest-working that I have seen. It is amazing what they can do given their size. I applaud all those involved in this exhibition and hope that your readers will realize that each exhibit cannot be compared to the one that came before it. Nor can you compare the same artifacts that are displayed in one city with another. Wayne David Atherholt Florida International Museum St. Petersburg, Florida To the Editor: In a recent interview with The Memphis Flyer I was asked why “Ancestors of the Incas” has not been a success in Memphis and how the exhibit will be received in St. Petersburg. I pointed out that a comparison cannot be made simply because I have not seen “Ancestors of the Incas.” However, the reporter asked me about “Empires of Mystery” and I described our exhibit as being an adventure and a learning experience. I also described the design of the exhibition with the galleries set up as a maze you walk through as an archaeologist. Please note that a comparison in the different appeals was not made and that I never added a comment about our exhibit being more “intriguing” than “Ancestors of the Incas.” Again, I am not able to compare since I’ve not seen the show in Memphis. Mathias Bergendahl Public Relations Coordinator Florida International Museum St. Petersburg, Florida Remembering Packwood and Thomas To the Editor: Loved your great editorial on Clinton! (August 20th issue) Hope you guys let Senator Packwood, Justice Thomas, and the military know that a public official exploiting government employees for sex in public buildings is now a “private matter.” Finally, we can give Packwood his personal diaries back, Anita Hill gets demoted to bimbo, and the “tail” can return to Tailhook. You were just great ridiculing Ken Starr for continuing his investigation after months of deceit, obstruction, and delay by the president and his staff. It’s a shame, though. That independent counsel law (written and passed into law by Democrats) was such fun when the Republicans were in the White House. And those wonderful days when no one was counting money. You know, like Watergate, Iran-Contra, or those 70-plus Democratic allegations about Newt Gingrich (of which exactly part of one was true). Keep the faith, baby! (You’ll need it.) Herbert Kook Germantown Defining a Great President To the Editor I appreciate our vice president letting us know about his ideals in regard to the presidency. According to him, a “great president” is one who will lie to protect himself and conceal his misconduct but who will not use his power to protect the weakest members of our society – babies who are threatened by abortionists. I hope that Mr. Gore never becomes a “great president.” Brad Forgy e-mail (Memphis) CORRECTION In last week’s City Reporter story on the current Wonders exhibition, we reported that Greer Simonton, chief operating officer at Archer Malmo, “blames the lack of advertising” for the show’s poor attendance. In fact, we may have misinterpreted Simonton’s comments. We regret the error. The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 687, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at memflyer@aol.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words. Editor’s Note You don’t always need a marketing survey to know which stories and features people are reading. Whenever we make a mistake with the New York Times crossword puzzle, we hear from our readers. Two weeks ago we realized just before going to press that we did not have the answers for the puzzle that ran the week before. And, despite repeated attempts to obtain the answers from our syndicator, we have not been able to do so. We apologize to our many loyal crossword enthusiasts and assure you that we are making every effort to insure that the mistake is not repeated.