Letters, calls, complaints and great thoughts from readers:
Harriette Simmons, Chicago: I have a suggestion about the flooding that you might want to pass along to the mayor.
Why don`t we ask the Netherlands for advice. They have been dealing with dikes for centuries and could probably tell us how to solve this problem quickly.
I called City Hall and tried to give this suggestion to the woman who answered the phone, but she didn`t know what the Netherlands are. I told her that they are the Dutch. Then she said: `Oh, you mean the Germans.`
Anyway, I think this is something that should be considered. In the Netherlands, they know about these things. They might even send us one of their engineers.
Comment: Absolutely. But in case the Dutch can`t help, we might also ask Venice for advice about the timing of traffic lights for rush hour gondolas.
Donald Shotola: My expertise in flooding is not as an engineer, but as an observer of nature and the ways of beavers in northern Wisconsin.
For 10 years, I have watched with great consternation beavers create dam spilloffs and streams from Lake Pojajda, where we have a summer cabin. They have raised the water level, flooded our access roads, and felled huge trees overnight. After we destroyed their dams, they rebuilt within hours.
I postulate that a half dozen beavers settled within the area of the Kinzie Bridge would immediately begin the task of plugging the leak in the river.
A net would be needed to prevent them from moving downstream and a supply of twigs, plant roots and stones would have to be placed nearby for the construction and nutritional purposes.
I truly believe six beavers could plug that leak in 24 hours. Incidentally, I do not want any credit for this idea. It is yours to do with as you see fit.
Comment: Thank you. I`ll call the mayor and tell him to put out a requisition for one Dutch engineer, six beavers and a load of twigs.
Phyllis Turner, Chicago: This might sound unusual, but some years ago, we had a leak in our kitchen ceiling because of a problem with the plumbing. It was at night and on a weekend, so my husband couldn`t get to a hardware store. He went to an all-night convenience store and bought a big bag of chewing gum. We put it in a pot with hot water and made a big ball out of it and spread it out over the crack and it worked. Of course, we made a permanent repair later, but the gum sure did a great temporary job.
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Chicago is the home of the Wrigley gum company so why couldn`t they be asked for a truckload or two of the stuff they make the gum out of. It could be heated and put down over the hole.
Comment: Got it. That will be one Dutch engineer, six beavers, a load of twigs and a ton of Wrigley chewing gum. Or maybe a few thousand Chicagoans can come over on their lunch break, chew real hard, and spit their gum at the whirlpool.
Steve Coppola, Oak Park: A co-worker of mine has a great idea. The next time the Chicago River leaks, plug up the hole with aldermen. What do you think?
Comment: Too light. They`d float away. But we could try tossing their wallets and pinky rings.
Bunny Augustine, Wildwood: Knowing that you try to answer the tough questions that others are unable or unwilling to address, why can I find ox tails at the meat counter but no other ox parts. No ox steak, no ox roast, no ox nothin`.
My concern is that there must be millions of oxen on the hoof with no means to swish flies. My appeals to animal rights organizations have gone unanswered, and I would appreciate your help.
Comment: You do not find other ox parts because of still another great fraud being perpetrated on the American people. You think you are getting ox tails, do you? Hah, forget it. There happens to be an oxen shortage, so it`s likely that you are buying the tails of cattle or cows or whatever those animals are called. But the stores don`t want to admit it. Who wants to make a pot of cow tail stew?
Ed Hurley, Chicago: I`ve been a newspaper reader all my life and I respect the need for a free press. But it seems to me that in recent years, the media has turned into a school of sharks.
I see it in politics, where they jump on the tiniest flaw in a candidate`s life, things that are really insignificant, and tear him apart like sharks. I can`t care if Bill Clinton once smoked pot. Everybody in his generation did. This would be like asking George Bush if he was 21 when he had his first drink, or if he broke the law by drinking earlier.
Then this Arthur Ashe thing. My God, isn`t a retired tennis player entitled to some privacy in his life?
What`s happening in your profession? When did this shark mentality begin? I`m old enough to remember when it wasn`t always like that. There was sensible restraint. What changed?
Comment: That`s something I`m going to write about soon at greater length. But I`d like to correct you on one point: the press, including the broadcast news industry, shouldn`t be compared to a school of sharks. Carp would be more accurate, since carp are bottom feeders. And the stories about Clinton and his one experiment with pot, and about Ashe and his illness, are bottom feeding at its worst.