El Asesino
Thanks for [Cover, "Under the El," Duane Swierczynski, Aug. 25, 2005]. I knew one of the victims, Michelle Martin. She and the others didn't deserve these fates. I wonder what their lives were like as children and teenagers and what brought them problems with mental health. That would be a good documentary.
Barbara Tarvydas
Via e-mail

The police knew there was a serial killer in Frankford. Why couldn't a female undercover cop have gone out there and tried to fish this fiend out? If even one of those women's lives were saved, it would have been worth every penny of the taxpayers' money.
Anne Byers
Kensington

Save the 'Phants
We are concerned for the elephants at the Philadelphia Zoo [Cityspace, "Roaming Charge," Doron Taussig, Aug. 25, 2005]! Captivity and the lack of space cause a long list of problems for these fantastic animals! They include arthritis and other joint disorders, foot infections and abscesses, tuberculosis that the elephants contract from people, psychological difficulties like swaying and rocking, skin ailments, as well as reproduction difficulties!

They deserve to live in a normal environment where they can run many miles and forage each day as they do in the wild!
David and Rita Cross
Via E-mail

One cannot justify the imposition of this amount of suffering, no matter what educational goal is proffered as the trade-off.
Mary Hadcock
Massachusetts

Moonshinin' Tips
The recommendation to use a Brita water filter to clean up bottom-shelf vodka was a good instinct, but misleading [Cover, "Cheap Shots," Ashlea Halpern, Aug. 18, 2005]. It is true that low-end liquor has a lot of contaminants that contribute to bad taste, nausea and even hangovers, but using a water filter isn't the best way to purify it. A commercial water filter contains a mix of filter material, some of which is designed to clean out contaminants that are unique to tap water (like chlorine) and others that can actually be broken down and dissolved into your drink by liquor. Silica, for example, will help purify drinking water, but may also dissolve and end up in your vodka tonic. Also, home water filters are designed to wear out quickly after only a few uses (much less if you're using it for booze) so that they can sell more replacement filters to customers.
Zafer Ülkücü
Gray Kangaroo Personal Liquor Filters

Ireland, Meet Philly
Having read [Cover, "A Prayer for Grays Ferry," Mike Newall, Aug. 4, 2005], I can't help but compare it to the social and economic problems that are prevalent throughout my community. I was extremely impressed but not surprised by the great work that Mike Rafferty is doing at Grays Ferry Boxing Club, which will ultimately have a positive and lasting effect on the young people from the community. Informal and community education can help young people focus on and change not only their own lives, but encourage good in others.
Billy Boyd
Belfast, Northern Ireland